ROUTE TO SPRINT

Fires when the last-race distance was 8 furlongs or more and today's distance is 7 furlongs or less. Routers cutting back to sprints face the opposite challenge: they may not have the quick-twitch acceleration needed to compete in faster-starting sprint fields. Some routers excel at sprinting — especially those with early speed — but others are left flat-footed by the quicker tempo and find themselves out of position from the opening call, unable to close in time.