Ryan 'Pulls the Plug' on Book'em Danno's 2025 Campaign

Book'em Danno, the top-ranked sprinter in North America, will bypass the remainder of the 2025 racing season, trainer Derek Ryan said. Reported first by Daily Racing Form and later speaking with BloodHorse, Ryan cited numerous reasons for bypassing races this fall, including the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 1. Foremost among these was a reluctance to run the 4-year-old Bucchero gelding at Del Mar and the recent six-month suspension issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to Paco Lopez, Book'em Danno's regular rider. Ryan said he made the "pull the plug" call on continuing a 2025 campaign after the riding crop-related suspension to Lopez was issued earlier this week—a hefty suspension he views as without merit. He had suggested the possibility of skipping the Breeders' Cup earlier this year. He calls Lopez the "hardest-working jock in the country" and one who has struck up a "good partnership" with Book'em Danno. The rider has been aboard for all five of the sprinter's starts this year, resulting in four victories, including a historic sweep of the True North Stakes (G3), Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes (G2), and Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course this summer for owner Atlantic Six Racing. The gelding had worked twice at Monmouth Park since winning the Aug. 23 Forego, clocking a half-mile in :50 Sept. 11 and another 4-furlong move in :50 3/5 Sept. 20. Had Ryan not decided to wrap up Book'em Danno's campaign, he said the Oct. 3 Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland was targeted as a start before the Breeders' Cup. He added that five demanding races this year, including three starts over the summer, also played a role in his decision. Though the Eclipse Award for champion male sprinter often goes to the Breeders' Cup Sprint winner, Ryan is hopeful the strength of Book'em Danno's 2025 record leaves him in the driver's seat for a championship. He is currently ranked seventh in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll—leaving him as the highest-rated sprinter. That poll, conducted by national media, represents horses competing for the most coveted prize in Thoroughbred racing: Horse of the Year. Ryan suggested Book'em Danno could potentially reappear next year in a race in Saudi Arabia during the winter. The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2) on Saudi Cup day in February carries a $2 million purse and was won this year by the 2024 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and champion male sprinter, Straight No Chaser. Book'em Danno raced once at King Abdulaziz Racecourse previously, nearly outlasting Japanese star Forever Young (JPN) when second in the one-mile 2024 Saudi Derby (G3).