DEL MAR, Calif. – It took the Europeans five years to come up with a 2-year-old who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Japan could get one in their first attempt. Ecoro Sieg, on raw time, staked a claim in September as the fastest 2-year-old turf sprinter ever to race in Japan. With two brilliant wins behind him at home, Ecoro Sieg could take Del Mar by storm as the morning-line favorite in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint. A dozen young horses running five furlongs, a good portion of it around a sharp turn, serves up a recipe for a roughly run race, but Ecoro Sieg possesses the ingredient to steer clear of all that – brilliant early speed. “I expect him to lead the race,” trainer Hideyuki Mori said. In fairness, Mori hardly has set the American racing world aflame: None of his 10 starters here have finished better than fifth, and in last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Mori sent out Jasper Krone to finish last of a dozen in the Turf Sprint. :: Get the inside scoop from the morning workouts with Breeders' Cup Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team In fact, Jasper Krone in 2021 made his first two starts in the same two races as Ecoro Sieg – 1,200-meter dashes in August at Niigata Racecourse, a left-handed track, and in September at Nakayama, where they go right-handed. Ecoro Sieg finished eight or nine lengths faster than Jasper Krone in both, and while the course at Nakayama clearly played fast the day he raced, no 2-year-old in Japan ever had run 1,200 meters as fast as Ecoro Sieg’s 1:07.2. With speed like that, a turnback in distance should pose no issue. “The five furlongs will be good for him,” said Mori, who has the great jockey Christophe Lemaire booked to ride. The fleet Ecoro Sieg benefits from coming along in a year when the American contingent has looked subpar. Governor Sam made it four straight wins capturing the Indian Summer at Keeneland, and the 77 Beyer Speed Figure he earned stacks up against the best among four American starters. But consider that Bulletin won the inaugural Juvenile Turf Sprint in 2018 after posting an 86 Beyer, Four Wheel Drive won in 2019 after an 87, and Golden Pal brought a 92 to his 2020 victory. The 2021 winner, Twilight Gleaming hadn’t yet been assigned a Beyer but had won the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot that summer. The 2022 renewal at Keeneland saw Europeans break through, Mischief Magic unleashing a wild rally to win for trainer Charlie Appleby and Godolphin. They don’t have a runner this year, but trainer Aidan O’Brien has two, Whistlejacket and Ides of March. Ides of March drew poorly in post 11 and rates as a longshot, but Whistlejacket, Ryan Moore wearing the colors of owner Peter Brant, has a serious chance. Whistlejacket won the Group 1 Prix Morny and finished second in two other Group 1s, all at six furlongs. He never has raced around a turn, but O’Brien believes an American five furlongs with a turn could suit Whistlejacket, who might not have gotten the right trip finishing second last out in the Middle Park Stakes. “He broke and [Moore] took him back, and he said the pace wasn’t quick enough for him at Newmarket,” O’Brien said. “We think he’s a fast horse. In this race they go very fast, and we’ll see if he’s fast enough. Ryan is happy where he’s drawn, and the pace will suit him.” :: BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more O’Brien hasn’t won the Juvenile Turf Sprint, but another Appleby, Mick, trained last year’s winner, Big Evs, his first Breeders’ Cup runner. Appleby returns this year with Big Mojo, a different kind of horse than Big Evs, but a capable one. A little bowling ball of a colt, Big Mojo doesn’t have Big Ev’s speed and came from well off the lead when he won the Group 3 Molecomb as a maiden in his second start. He ships to Del Mar after a close second in the Flying Childers on Sept. 13 at Doncaster, where Big Mojo raced closer to the front than in his previous outings. “He showed more pace last time, and we didn’t want to be taking him back,” Appleby said. “We just want to jump well and sit second or third behind the leaders.” That task falls to Tom Marquand, who piloted Big Evs, and if one thinks Big Mojo can contend, then Aesterius merits consideration. Big Mojo outfinished Aesterius in the Molecomb, Aesterius gaining his revenge with a neck win in the Flying Childers. Unlike other Europeans, Aesterius has experience around a turn, having won his debut going left-handed at Bath Racecourse. Magnum Force and Arizona Blaze aren’t clearly overmatched but lack the credentials of their fellow trans-Atlantic shippers. Shareholder ran very well winning the Norfolk at Royal Ascot, but flopped last out in the Prix Morny and has been a slow starter, a deal-breaker at Del Mar. Todd Pletcher, Bulletin’s trainer, races Gate to Wire in blinkers for the first time after working the colt in them following a second-place finish behind stablemate Mentee in the Futurity at Aqueduct. :: ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save 41% off the retail price. “He got a little bit lost in the early part of the race, was a little green,” Pletcher said. Only two other Americans populate the race. Jet Sweep Joe exits a dismal showing in the Indian Summer. Pali Kitten drew in from the also-eligible list with the Tuesday scratch of Out On Bail. Pali Kitten got a 79 Beyer winning the Speakeasy at Santa Anita. Not bad, but not fast enough to break a two-year international string of winners that will become three if Ecoro Sieg is as fast as he appears. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.