Oaklawn Park: Cyber Secret has much in his favor in Fifth Season

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – When last seen in Arkansas, Cyber Secret turned in a tour-de-force performance in the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap. He rolled by 5 3/4 lengths to defeat a field led by 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned.

“He was just brilliant on that day,” said Lynn Whiting, who trains Cyber Secret.

Cyber Secret is back in town to defend his title in the Oaklawn. The path there starts Saturday in the $100,000 Fifth Season. The 1 1/16-mile race for 4-year-olds and up is the second stakes of the Oaklawn meet, and it drew 13. Donoharm, the defending race winner, will be making his second start off a layoff; Jaguar Paw exits a fifth-place finish to Eclipse Award finalists Will Take Charge and Game On Dude in the Clark; and Drogue, a recent allowance winner at Churchill, will be coupled with Cyber Secret as both race for Oaklawn president Charles Cella.

Cyber Secret enters off another dazzling performance, this one at Turfway Park on Dec. 21. He set a track record for 1 1/16 miles when he won the $50,000 Prairie Bayou in 1:42.26, the fastest time for the distance in the eight years since Turfway installed Polytrack.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Whiting said. “He had needed a work or a race, and as things came about, it just looked like the race was the best option. We were very fortunate because the weather was good. We got a nice rain in the preceding days before that effort, and the Turfway [Polytrack] was in the best possible shape that day. Everything worked out better than anybody could have ever planned.”

Cyber Secret has since been at Oaklawn, and on Jan. 5 he breezed five furlongs in 1:05.80 over a surface that has been laboring. Aside from his recent form, he has a couple of other factors in his favor Saturday.

“He’s a horse with a somewhat recent race, coming back in three weeks,” Whiting said. “It’s a good time span. He also was appreciative of the Oaklawn surface last season.”

Cyber Secret went 4 for 4 at Oaklawn in 2013, and plans for his spring campaign this year can be summed up in one sentence, said Whiting: “Oaklawn Park with a capital O!”

Robby Albarado has the mount on Cyber Secret.

“I’d like to see him just kind of place himself somewhat in the race, and just relax off of horses and come when he’s called on,” said Whiting.

◗ Redgrass Cat, winner of the $50,000 Donnie Wilhite at Louisiana Downs, meets impressive maiden winners Daddy’s Memory and Let It Snow in the race 7, a first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies at a mile that could produce starters for the $100,000 Martha Washington on Feb. 1.

◗ Oaklawn’s famed corned-beef sandwiches will be priced at 50 cents Saturday.