As the 2026 Breeders’ Cup nears, the quest to take part in the prestigious event intensifies, with the York Racecourse hosting an automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
York will be busy this week, as it hosts the Ebor Festival and one of the much-awaited races is the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, where one of the most prominent sprinters is expected to take part.
Bacio to spice up Nunthorpe Stakes field
Almost two months after his superb run in the five-furlong Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot, the Wesley Ward-trained Bacio is set for a comeback at Nunthorpe, which will be the same distance as his previous conquest.
The Maclean’s Music colt will be ridden by Juan Hernandez and the Friday showcase looks to give Ward his first win at Nunthorpe.
Ward’s highest achievement at this sprint race was in 2015 when he guided juvenile Acapulco to a second-place finish.
He repeated two years later when three-year-old Lady Aurelia was caught at the wire to check in second.
Biggest test for Bacio’s career
While Bacio holds a 3-1 odds of winning the race in York barring any untoward incidents, he has yet to prove his worth in a graded-stakes race, as he was notably scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last year.
Other horses that could give Bacio a run for the money in this race include King Charles III Stakes runner-up Rayevka, King George winner American Affair and 2025 Nunthorpe winner Asfoora, who finished fourth in the King George.
Starlust, the 2024 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is also expected to participate despite being deemed as one of the longshots in the field.
It will be Starlust’s fourth start after having an almost one-year layoff and he tries to find a way to get his old racing form back.
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Juliette White 
Michael Davey