Breeders' Cup Memories: 1996 Sprint

Note: Once a week till the week before the Breeders' Cup, this blog will be featuring a BC race in a new feature called Breeders' Cup Memories. This week's focus is on the 1996 Sprint.

After finishing third in the 1995 Breeders' Cup Sprint to Desert Stormer (Storm Cat), Evergreen Farms' Lit de Justice (El Gran Senor) returned for the 1996 season. Entering the Sprint, he hadn't run since August when he was 3rd to Alphabet Soup (Cozzene) in the Pat O'Brien. In the race held at Woodbine, he would face G1 winner Capote Belle (Capote), the hometown hero Langfur (Danzig) who won the Vosburgh, as well as Met Mile winner Honour and Glory (Relaunch) and Withers winner Appealing Skier (Baldski), both had run in the 95 Juvenile at Belmont won by Unbridled's Song (the latter also defeated Capote Belle in her first start against males).

Lord Carson (Carson City) took the early lead with Honour and Glory sitting second. Lit de Justice was sitting towards the back of the field with jockey Corey Nakatani. In the stretch it looked like that he was going to fall short once again, but he gobbled up ground very quickly to run down the longshot Paying Dues (Cure the Blues) and Honour and Glory held on for third. Lit also made history that day as his trainer Jenine Sahadi became the first woman to saddle a Breeders' Cup race winner (she would repeat the feat the next year in the Sprint with Elmhurst).
 Replay:

 

Lit de Justice would be named 1996 Champion Sprinter. The BC Sprint would be his final race before stud. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 22.

 * Something that didn't make the article was the horses that Lit de Justice finished ahead of in the 1995 Sprint. They included Our Emblem (Out of Distaff winner Personal Ensign ½ to Juvenile Fillies winner My Flag, uncle to Juvenile Fillies winner Storm Flag Flying and the sire War Emblem), You and I (sire of You), and Da Hoss (1996 and 1998 Mile winner, the first horse to win non-consecutive BC races). Finishing right ahead of Lit was Mr. Greeley who would go onto become a superstar sire including being the grandsire of Juvenile Turf winner Nownownow. Also Alphabet Soup would defeat 1995 Classic winner Cigar in the 1996 Classic, but the latter would be named Champion Older Horse and Horse of the Year honors.