Midnight Lute wins BC Sprint

ARCADIA, Calif., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Midnight Lute rallied widest of all to win Saturday's $2 million Sentient Flight Group Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in California.

It was the second straight win for Midnight Lute in the Sprint. Fatal Bullet, who raced close to the fast early pace, got to the front at mid-stretch and held on for second, 1 3/4 lengths back. Street Boss was a non-threatening third.

Midnight Lute broke last in the field of eight and had to circle most of his rivals on the turn to get a clear run at Fatal Bullet. Midnight Lute, a 5-year-old son of Real Quiet, ran the 6 furlongs in 1:07.08. Garrett Gomez rode for trainer Bob Baffert.

Midnight Lute followed up last year's Breeders' Cup win with a second-place finish in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. He did not run again until Aug 24 at Del Mar, where he finished 10th.

"They said I made a mistake" in not giving Midnight Lute more races, Baffert said. "I said fine, I'll just have him ready on the big day. He was ready on the big day."

Midnight Lute became one of only a handful of horses to win the same Breeders' Cup race two years in a row and the first to capture two straight sprints.

Cost of Freedom, winner of the Ancient Title at Santa Anita in his last start, was scratched from the Sprint Saturday morning after a vet's exam.