Imagination (Into Mischief) showed an electric turn-of-foot in the lane to overhaul the defending champion and claim his automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup by way of the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes.Back at the six furlong distance for the first time since his debut two years ago at Del Mar, the Bob Baffert trainee had predominantly been a two-turn horse in his career and had two elite-level placings last year to his credit–once in the spring in the GI Santa Anita Derby when he came a neck shy of winning the Kentucky Derby prep, and a third placing in the GI Malibu Moon Stakes to end his 2024. He raced once this year, way back in late January, and faded to fourth in the GII San Pasqual Stakes at this venue.Gone since then, this was his first race off an almost eight-month layoff, and the betting public gave Imagination a 5-1 shot to get it done over his in-form competition. Breaking inwardly and brushing with his neighbor, he recovered to track up the backstretch from fifth and was almost six wide when he went into the turn. Slowly angled in to save some ground, he was closing the gap on defending champion, 3-5 favorite Straight No Chaser (Speightster) but still had work to do as the field came into the homestretch.Taking contact from Awesome Rhythm (First Samurai) as that one faded through the stretch after pushing the issue earlier, Imagination continued his march to the front with Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper) looming a danger as well on the inside. Finally collaring the longtime leader at the sixteenth pole, he drove clear of his pursuers to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Dr. Venkman got the best of Straight No Chaser late to claim second and last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero ran third.“We freshened him up. He needed a freshening,” said Baffert. “We gave him a lot of time. He looks beautiful, he has filled out and his work was just sensational the other day. I just thought, 'you know what, I am just going to run him in the Sprint'. There is not a race for him for another three weeks, but this will set him up. He's always been a good horse. He's a little quirky but that is his thing.”Regarding his other entry, who finished last, Baffert said, “Speed Boat Beach, I don't know what happened to him. He didn't want to run today, but Juan came to pick up the pieces and [Imagination] ran huge. It's a great win for the team.”Regarding the third place finish of Straight No Chaser, who had not raced since early April after his trip out to the Middle East, it was explained as a case of being slightly rusty.“I thought [Straight No Chaser] ran good,” said jockey John Velazquez. “It had been a long time. Hopefully he'll be ready for the Breeders' Cup.” #8 IMAGINATION ran past Straight No Chaser to take the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2), a @BreedersCup Win and You're In event. @Spendthriftfarm's Into Mischief the sire of this now-dual stakes winner. @JJHernandezS19 up.Dr. Venkman 2nd, Straight No Chaser 3rd. pic.twitter.com/Vin5aQ3a9s— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 29, 2025 Pedigree Notes:Imagination is the fourth runner in his family to garner black-type and the second in a row to claim it at the elite-level behind his full-sister MGISP Occult. The eldest siblings of the foursome were a pair of stakes winners named Exulting (Tapit) and his full-sister Magical. Their dam Magical Feeling was also placed at the Grade I level as a third-place finisher in the GI Humana Distaff during her time on the track. The mare has a juvenile colt named Make My Day (Gun Runner) as her last registered foal after she aborted her 2024 Flightline. She did not produce offspring in 2025 and was bred to National Treasure for 2026.This is the extended female family of GISW Dream Tree (Uncle Mo) as well as the immediate one of GISW Golden Ticket (Speightstown). Further down is the multiple Group 1-placed Tomahawk.Sunday, Santa AnitaSANTA ANITA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP S. PRESENTED BY ESTRELLA JALISCO-GII, $201,500, Santa Anita, 9-28, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.00, ft.1–IMAGINATION, 122, c, 4, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: Magical Feeling (GSW & GISP, $554,532), by Empire Maker 2nd Dam: Magical Mood (GB), by Forestry 3rd Dam: Good Mood, by Devil's Bag($1,050,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Masterson, Robert E., Waves Edge Capital LLC, C Donovan and T Ryan.; B-Peter E. Blum Tbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 13-3-5-2, $603,700. *1/2 to Magical (Tapit), SW, $164,550; 1/2 to Exulting (Tapit), MSW, $687,370; Full to Occult, GSW & MGISP, $721,006. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*** Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.2–Dr. Venkman, 126, g, 5, Ghostzapper–Theory of Change, by Archarcharch. ($105,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Alipony Racing, Agnew, Dan J., Bunch, Clint and Hailey, James; B-Ghostzapper Syndicate & Hidden Brook Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $40,000.3–Straight No Chaser, 124, h, 6, Speightster–Margarita Friday, by Johannesburg. ($110,000 2yo '21 EASMAY). O-MyRacehorse; B-John Eaton & Steve Laymon (KY); T-Dan Blacker. $24,000.Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 5.60, 4.20, 0.70.Also Ran: Smooth Cruisein, Awesome Rhythm, Wound Up, Mbagnick (Chi), Speed Boat Beach.Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.The post Imagination Ignites Breeders’ Cup Dreams with Santa Anita Sprint Championship Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.