Breeders' Cup Sprint: Secret Circle jumps into the picture

ARCADIA, Calif. – After Secret Circle sat idle for 18 months before returning to the races just three weeks ago, it seemed inconceivable that he would be among the 12 starters in Saturday’s $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, let alone be considered one of the horses to beat in the six-furlong dash. But in a topsy-turvy division plagued all season long by injuries and most recently the tragic death of Points Offthebench, Secret Circle has suddenly emerged, along with Private Zone and Justin Phillip, as one of the leading candidates to win the race and give his trainer, Bob Baffert, a record fourth victory in the Sprint.

[BREEDERS’ CUP 2013: Fields with DRF odds and comments]

The Sprint field will have a familiar look to it. Five of the 12 starters ran in the race a year ago, including defending champion Trinniberg, 2012 runner-up The Lumber Guy, the speedy Sum of the Parts (finished fourth), Justin Phillip (fifth), and Baffert’s former pupil Fast Bullet (sixth), who is now trained by fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.[bc_video_id:308858:]

Secret Circle is no stranger to the Breeders’ Cup himself. The son of Eddington won the 2011 Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs as the 2-5 favorite. He briefly embarked on the Triple Crown trail the following winter and spring, winning both the Grade 3 Southwest and Grade 2 Rebel before going to the sidelines with a sesamoid injury after finishing a distant second behind stablemate Bodemeister in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby.

“Although he’s been off for a year and one-half, he’s never had surgery,” Baffert said. “He could have been ready to run again this summer, but I didn’t want to take him to Del Mar, so I just decided to wait until we got to Santa Anita to bring him back.”

Secret Circle returned after nearly 18 months off to win a six-furlong allowance dash here Oct. 14 with a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure. He will break from post 9 on Saturday with Martin Garcia aboard.

“I never really thought about the Sprint,” Baffert said. “I said I’ll let him tell me. But the way he ran, came out of the race, and the fact that we’re here, I figured we might as well take a chance. He was cut out to be a sprinter all along, but it’s easy to get caught up in the Derby and everything else like we did with him. But he’s so fast. I’d prefer having more time since his last start, but my horses really don’t bounce because they’ve all got a pretty good foundation under them. He’s got a good post for him – he needs to be outside – and if he can break well, the talent is certainly there to win this race.”

Secret Circle is expected to sit off what figures to be a lightning-fast pace. The Sprint field includes several horses who have been at their best when on or near the lead. Among them are Private Zone, wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 1 Vosburgh; Sum of the Parts, the early leader in the 2012 Sprint; Trinniberg, who prompted the pace of Sum of the Parts before edging away to victory in this race a year ago; and Fast Bullet, who is as quick as they come when right.

Private Zone has won his last two starts by a hard-fought neck, including the Vosburgh, after being freshened following a disappointing effort in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in spring. His trainer, Doug O’Neill, said he believes Private Zone is capable of rating if need be.

“If they go some crazy 21-flat type of thing, we have the confidence that he can sit a little bit,” O’Neill said. “He doesn’t have to be on the lead. The most important thing is that he’s doing sensational, and as long as he breaks sharp, I feel really good.”

Justin Phillip, narrowly beaten by Private Zone in the Vosburgh, will have to work out a trip from the rail under regular rider John Velazquez. Justin Phillip, who’ll make his 32nd start Saturday, finally got his first Grade 1 win when he rallied to defeat Sprint contender Bahamian Squall in Saratoga’s six-furlong Vanderbilt earlier this summer.

Trinniberg is winless in four starts since upsetting the 2012 Sprint at 13-1 and figures to go postward an even bigger price coming off a dull seventh-place finish behind Points Offthebench in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5. His trainer, Bisnath Parboo, is quick to dismiss that race.

“The track was a little deep that day, and he didn’t break real sharp, so we’re just tossing that one out,” Parboo said. “But he’s trained very well since the race, and we’re extremely confident he’ll run as well as he did in this race last year.”