U.S. Thoroughbred racing is the global leader when it comes to producing elite dirt sprinters, and that makes sense because sprint races on dirt have long been the meat and potatoes of the sport in this country. Indeed, the only winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint who was bred or based outside of North America was Sheikh Albadou in 1991. He was bred in Great Britain and raced exclusively in Europe before the 1991 Breeders’ Cup, which he prepped for in France with a second-place finish in the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp.
