Balazo expected to run in second Front Runner Sprint
The second in the series of races sponsored by Newport Mills Limited – The Front Runner Sprint – is set for competition on Saturday next with an enticing purse of $1 million. The Front Runner Sprint (number two) will be run over five and a half furlongs (1,100m) and is for maiden and untried two-year-olds.
The first Front Runner Sprint on September 3, 2016 ended in dramatic fashion after the overwhelming odds-on favourite,
Balazo, trained by Anthony Nunes and ridden by Shane Ellis, was over eight lengths in front with literally metres to race when he started to veer to his right before crashing into the outside rails, eventually ending up in the winners’ enclosure. The race was eventually taken by the Richard Azan-trained Awesome Sauce.
Luckily, there was no serious damage toBalazo and he was back on the exercise track within a few days.
Balazo is expected to lead the entries in the Front Runner, with Ellis down again to ride.
