Dr. Schivel battled Speed Boat Beach through the final furlong and dug in to narrowly prevail in the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) Saturday.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Mark Glatt, the 5-year-old son of Violence won the race for the second time in three years—he landed the 2021 edition by a comfortable 3¼ lengths in wire-to-wire fashion but had to call upon all his reserves to win by a head Saturday.
Dr. Schivel returned $6.80 for the win after completing the six furlongs in 1:08.49 on a track rated as wet fast and stamped himself as a horse to watch for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 4 at the Arcadia, Calif. track. He came tantalizingly close to winning the 2021 edition of the Sprint, run at Del Mar, when finishing second by a nose to Aloha West after taking that year's Sprint Championship.
Speed Boat Beach, who pressed early pacesetter Sir Atticus through a half mile in Saturday's race, led by a head in early stretch but the winner, who chased from third early, came calling to his inside and ultimately proved too strong.
Fort Bragg finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Speed Boat Beach.
Owned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and breeder William A. Branch, Dr. Schivel was off for nearly all of 2022. He was a 4¼-length classified allowance winner going six furlongs May 23 in his seasonal2023 debut three starts back at Santa Anita, then was a well-beaten fifth behind Cody's Wish in the Metropolitan (G1) June 10 at Belmont Park, and was most recently third, beaten a neck, by The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) May 13 at Del Mar.
With Saturday's win, Dr. Schivel improved his overall record to 7-2-3 from 14 starts. The $120,000 winner's share of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship purse boosted his lifetime bankroll to $1,327,100.
Bred in Kentucky by Branch and Arnold R. Hill, Dr. Schivel was produced by the Mining for Money mare Lil Nugget.
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Quotes
JOCKEY JUAN HERNANDEZ, DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “He broke a step slow but, after the first sixteenth, he got me there. He recovered really well, I was tracking the leaders and that was the plan because this track today, it's pretty fast so you don't want to be too far back. Plan A came out perfect, I just was waiting for something to come through. Around the turn, I saw a little bit of space inside on the rail, so I asked him to get into that position. He was really game today. He was fighting.
“He was really brave. He's a really professional horse. Mark Glatt brought him ready today. When I asked him to pick it up and to open up, he did.
“I was watching the horse on the outside because I was trying to get him. I knew he was there the whole time. We made it.”
TRAINER MARK GLATT, DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “The whole plan was to take the same path we did in 2021 and it worked really well that year. It was within an inch of working terrific, but you know I think these sprinters want to run a little fresh and at the same time I like the four weeks out from the Breeders' Cup. Four or five weeks. He got a good race under his belt.
“The ownership group is wonderful to train for they always allow me to do what is good for the horse, he's had his vacations and we've had to be patient. In some cases at times we had to be double patient and that's why he is around still because he wasn't pushed once he gave us the warning light. Hopefully he has one more good one in him and then he gets to go on to his second career.”
CO-OWNER TIM COHEN (Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC), DR. SCHIVEL, WINNER: “I think Juan rode him pretty much the whole way. I don't think her really enjoyed the ground but he just preserved and kept going.”
BREEDERS' CUP?: “But of course!”
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