Masochistic will bring a lot of heat to TwinSpires BC Sprint

This is the fourth in a series profiling the top contenders for the $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint. Previously covered in this series were Lord Nelson, A. P. Indian, and Drefong.

Masochistic will bring a lot to the table, mostly in the form of heat, to the Twinspires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Perhaps the biggest concern is that he'll bring so much he'll ultimately live up to his moniker.

Not debuting until March 2014 at age four, Masochistic won three of his first four starts impressively enough to be made the even-money choice in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Mile. However, the two-turn trip proved at least a furlong too far as he finished 7 1/4 lengths second to Soi Phet.

Masochistic made one more start for original trainer A.C. Avila, winning a 6 1/2-furlong allowance in February 2015. He next returned to stakes company under the tutelage of Ron Ellis, for whom he came home on top in the Kona Gold (G2) and Triple Bend (G1) after dueling early.

However, his form declined at the end of last season. After suffering back-to-back losses to Wild Dude in the Bing Crosby (G1) and Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1), the latter by 8 1/4 lengths, Masochistic was sent to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Unfortunately for connections, the California-bred rapidly lost ground down the backside and wound up trailing the field of 14 after fracturing a hind cannon bone.

Masochistic's preparations for this year's Sprint have been fewer and more consistently successful. An odds-on favorite in two starts, he encountered no pressure in either a July 8 allowance at Santa Anita or the Pat O'Brien (G2) at Del Mar, winning both with ease by a combined margin of 10 lengths.

Masochistic is unlikely to have things so easy in the Sprint. There aren't too many other true speedballs in the field, but Delta Bluesman and Drefong might be enough to give him fits. A horse for the course with four wins in six starts on Santa Anita's main track, Masochistic has a surprisingly modest 5-1-1-0 over the exact distance six furlongs, though he has performed admirably going longer on occasion.

Masochistic is the best runner produced by his female family in some time. His sire, Sought After, who descends from the female family of Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, and dam, Trotinette, by Unusual Heat, were both unraced. You have to go back to Masochistic's fourth dam, Grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Truffles, to find a black type earner.

(Benoit Photos)