Breeders’ Cup Sprint Gets Off To Bad Start

Seven horses were loaded into the wrong starting gates in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, stewards at Woodbine confirmed Saturday.

Worst hurt by the gaffe was Paying Dues, who finished second to Lit de Justice by 1-1/4 lengths. Instead of being loaded into the No. 7 spot in the gate, track personnel stuck him in the No. 12 gate.

The other six misloaded horses were off by just one gate.

The mistake occurred when half the 14 horses in the race were loaded into gates corresponding with their program numbers rather than the post position numbers they drew.