ARCADIA, Calif. -- As sturdy as the mountains overlooking Santa Anita, Kirstenbosch has a late-running puncher's chance in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint at seven furlongs. A 4-year-old homebred filly by Midnight Lute owned by Keith Abrahams, the versatile Kirstenbosch has won at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles on dirt and turf, and is a Grade 3 winner both sprinting and around two turns. Recently, however, it appears she found her niche as a closing sprinter that should relish seven furlongs. "She's kind of always been like a tweener," said Juan Leyva, assistant to trainer John Sadler. "She can almost get there at [six furlongs], and at 1 1/8 miles, she doesn't get there." Leyva knows what it takes to win a Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. As a jockey, he booted home Musical Romance in the 2011 renewal at Churchill Downs, one of 834 lifetime victories. As one of Sadler's trusted assistants, Leyva was Flightline's regular exercise rider as the future first-ballot Hall of Famer coasted through an unbeaten career that culminated with a sensational performance in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic. :: Breeders' Cup Shop: DRF Past Performances available now Leyva believes the break is key for Kirstenbosch, as was evident when she finished second in Del Mar's Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Aug. 27. "She had a horrible start, lost a lot of ground, and it took her a while to get going," Leyva said. The Sadler team regrouped, and immediately went to work to fix Kirstenbosch's poor gate habits leading up to Santa Anita's Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes on Sept. 29. "She's kind of a quirky horse, where she maybe she hears something and loses focus," Leyva said. "We schooled her quite a bit during the week and, for the race day, it really made the difference. It sure did, as Kirstenbosch ended odds-on favorite Eda's seven-race win streak. "She actually left the gate with them this time, which was a big factor," Leyva said. "Even though she's not as quick as they were, she stayed with them without having to use any extra energy. That was the key, that maintained her rhythm without being overridden." Leyva believes that Kirstenbosch is maturing. “It seems like the last three months she’s been training more forwardly,” Leyva admitted. “Before, she would kind of train with no interest. Now, she’s tugging on the rider a little more, she’s wanting to do a tad bit more. It seems like she’s picked up her game.” Kirstenbosch worked a bullet five-eighths in 58.60 on Oct. 28. “It was really good,” said Leyva. “She seemed a little bit more focused. She had a little bit more company to stay with this time, and I thought that made the difference. She finished up nice, and even the gallop-out was impressive as well.” Leyva believes that Kirstenbosch is a live longshot as she takes on a field that includes defending winner Goodnight Olive and razor-sharp Society. “If we can get a good break out of there, I think at seven-eighths she won’t be so far back, and she’ll be in a striking position. Hopefully they go out and set a nice, brisk pace, and she can come and pick up the pieces.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.