Santa Anita: Secret Circle may try Southwest

ARCADIA, Calif. - Secret Circle, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint in November and second to Out of Bounds in the Sham Stakes on Jan. 7, is being considered for the $250,000 Southwest Stakes over a mile at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas on Feb. 20, Baffert said.

"He might get a shot in the Southwest,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

In the Sham Stakes over a mile, Secret Circle was near the front throughout, led by a half-length in the stretch, and finished a half-length behind Out of Bounds.

“He was pressed the whole way and he didn’t pack it in,” Baffert said. “He got beat by a good horse.”[bc_video_id:241582:]

Baffert said he had no specific plans for Sky Kingdom, the winner of an allowance race over 1 1/16 miles by 4 1/2 lengths on Thursday under jockey Martin Garcia. A 3-year-old colt by Empire Maker, Sky Kingdom had four rivals, but only three finished. Es Luna was eased on the backstretch.

Garcia “shut him down at the end and got a little cute on me,” Baffert said of the jockey’s ride on Sky Kingdom.

Owned by Westrock Stable, Sky Kingdom was fourth in the CashCall Futurity in his stakes debut, closing from 10th to finish 2 1/4 lengths behind stablemate Liaison.