Secret Circle Vulnerable in Palos Verdes

Distinctiv Passion could tally a third consecutive win in the Palos Verdes Stakes Saturday at Santa Anita Park. (Photo by Benoit Photo)
The Grade 2, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita Park drew a compact but very powerful and competitive field of six sprinters. In terms of class, the field is led by 2014 Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up Secret Circle, who won the Sprint in 2013. On the other hand, Secret Circle has not won a race in five tries since that November, 2013 effort.
Big Macher is another top sprinter, having won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes last summer and entering this race off a win two months ago. Conquest Two Step missed by a neck to once beaten Shared Belief last month in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes and is another contender, while Wild Dude won this Palos Verdes Stakes last year. Then there's Distinctiv Passion, who won the Grade 3 Midnight Lute Stakes over the track last month and who has the ability to get the lead in the first few yards and never look back.
Distinctiv Passion is now a fully mature 5-year-old and is coming off the two best races of his career. The most recent of those efforts earned him a career-best and field-high 114 Equibase Speed Figure when victorious in the Midnight Lute Stakes last month at Santa Anita and he could run even better in the Palos Verdes. In that race, Distinctiv Passion led through an opening half mile in the sizzling time of 42.99 and was never threatened at any point after that.
With two speedy recent morning workouts showing he is holding his form and cutting back a half-furlong (110 yards) in distance, it is likely no other horse will want to take Distinctiv Passion on in the early stages or compromise their own chances, which should allow him to have an easy lead from start to finish once more. Conquest Two Step also just ran the best race of his career, missing by a neck to Shared Belief in the opening day Malibu Stakes. He earned a career best 113 speed figure after encountering traffic trouble with a quarter of a mile to run and overcame it with aplomb. Conquest Two Step will also appreciate the cut back in distance as he improves again in his first start as a newly turned 4-year-old. As such, he must be considered a strong threat to post the upset win.
Wild Dude won this race last year with a 107 speed figure before missing by less than a length when finding the longer seven furlong trip in the San Carlos Stakes a bit too much. Wild Dude returned to competitive form but missed by a nose on the wire to Big Macher in the Potrero Grande Stakes last April earning a career-best 113 figure. With a steady stream of fast workouts for leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and with leading jockey Rafael Bejarano in the saddle, Wild Dude is another who adds to the depth and quality of this field.
Big Macher stumbled at the start in the Breeders' Cup Sprint last November, finding himself an impossible 15 lengths back with only a quarter of a mile left to run. Still, he managed to make up many lengths and was only 4 1/4 lengths behind the winner at the finish. Facing much easier foes in the Cary Grant Stakes in late November, Big Macher returned to winning form with a 109 speed figure. If he can improve back to the form shown last spring over the track may be a contender as well.
SECRET CIRCLE AFTER THE 2013 BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT

Photo by Eclipse Sprotswire
Secret Circle has earned more than $2.4 million in his career so it feels odd to rate him this low as a contender. However, considering he has lost five straight since winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint in November, 2013, it may be the correct decision. Secret Circle earned a 107 figure when second in the 2014 Sprint behind Work All Week but did not improve when second in the Cigar Mile after that and before a fourth-place finish last month as the heavy favorite behind Distinctiv Passion in the Midnight Lute Stakes.
Chief Lion rounds out the field, with a career-best 109 figure but having recently won a second level allowance race and needing to run much better to compete in this kind of stakes.
My Selections:
Distinctiv Passion
Conquest Two Step
Wild Dude
$200,000 Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes
Saturday at Santa Anita, Race 6 at 6 p.m. ET
6 furlongs on the dirt for 4-year-olds and older

PP

Horse

Jockey

Wgt

Trainer

1

Distinctiv Passion

Mike Smith

118

Jeff Bonde

2

Big Macher

Tyler Baze

120

Richard Baltas

3

Conquest Two Step

Joe Talamo

118

Mark Casse

4

Secret Circle

Martin Garcia

118

Bob Baffert

5

Wild Dude

Rafael Bejarano

120

Jerry Hollendorfer

6

Chief Lion

Martin Pedroza

118

Eoin Harty