In Profile: Bentornato

By Peter Fornatale 

Bentornato heads to the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with the sense of unfulfilled potential. Having looked set for superstar status early on, his career appeared to stall somewhat in the middle, but he now looks to be heading in the right direction once more.

Bentornato and his connections must have thought the racing game was easy after his first four starts. Four wins were recorded, all at Gulfstream Park, with three of those in minor Stakes company and by wide margins, before that run of victories came to a juddering halt when long odds-on over 8.5 furlongs in the Florida Sire In Reality Stakes.

Appearing not to stay the two-turn mile there, it was a surprise that he was then pointed at the Saudi Derby, even allowing for that race being around one turn and over slightly shorter. In this horse’s defence, he ran quite well. Pushing a strong pace, he was in the lead with two furlongs to run but did not see his race out and weakened into third, once more failing to get home over the eight-furlong distance.

It’s possible that Bentornato had quite a hard race there, as he didn’t see the track for six months subsequently. Connections had clearly learned their lesson from his two previous starts and cut him back to seven furlongs for the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes.

Sent off favourite again, Bentornato was somewhat disappointing once more, as he was overhauled late on by the capable, but not top-class, Valetine Candy. Still, the time was fast and the prospect of more to come saw the son of Valiant Minister head the betting on his next start in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob.

Cut back to sprinting for the first time since his juvenile days, this time Bentornato was able to show his true ability. Duelling for the lead throughout, he looked in big trouble on the far turn but rallied very gamely to retake the lead within the final furlong and see his race out gamely. With a three-figure Beyer under his belt for the first time and his confidence up, connections decided to roll the dice and enter Bentornato in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Despite being sent off at a 28/1, Bentornato ran a remarkable race to finish second, leading in the final furlong but just unable to see off the late challenge of the talented Straight No Chaser, running another career best Beyer of 102 in the process.

Now proven at the highest level, the ridgling wasn’t seen again until September of this year. Returning in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes, Bentornato showed his class and hinted that he might now be ready to fulfil his potential.

Having tracked the fast pace, Irad Ortiz had plenty of horse left heading into the lane and sent his horse into the lead with a furlong to run. Ortiz had a willing partner underneath him, and the pair came home to win impressively by 5.25 lengths.

The form of that contest is likely not the strongest, but a 108 Beyer suggests Bentornato has the ability to win the Sprint and the manner of his last win suggests he may now be the finished article. With the prospect of more to come, and the likes of Book’em Danno set to miss the race, this looks a fine opportunity for this talented horse to finally arrive on the big stage.

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