Cup Winners Secret Circle, Goldencents Clash

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Secret Circle and Goldencents  , a pair of indomitable Breeders' Cup winners from last year, clash in the $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (gr. I) Oct. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Six are entered in the six-furlong dash that guarantees the winner fees-paid entry into the $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. The Santa Anita Sprint Championship, the eighth race on the Saturday program with a 4:30 p.m. PDT tentative starting time, is one of three graded stakes including the $100,000 L.A. Woman (gr. III) and the $200,000 City of Hope Mile (gr. IIT).

The lightly raced Secret Circlea 5-year-old with 10 lifetime startswon last year's BC Sprint by a neck as the 5-2 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert and owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. The son of Eddington   has raced just once since then, finishing second by a neck to Wild Dude in the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita in February.

Secret Circle, who drew the rail with Martin Garcia aboard, had a similar prep campaign for last year's BC Sprint as well, winning an allowance/optional claiming race leading up to the main event. The big bay has seven wins and three seconds in his career, banking $1,918,790.

Goldencents ran second in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship last year, half a length behind Points Offthebench, before his impressive gate-to-wire score in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) by 2 3/4 lengths. The 4-year-old Into Mischief   colt comes into this year's race off a 4 1/4-length romp in the seven-furlong Pat O'Brien Stakes (gr. II) on the Polytrack at Del Mar Aug. 24.

Trained by Doug O'Neill for W. C. Racing, the bay also has runner-up finishes in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Bing Crosby Stakes (gr. I) in his other two starts this year. Rafael Bejarano has the return call on Goldencents, a lifetime earner of $2,434,000 with six wins and six seconds from 16 races. They break from post 3.

Although both of the standouts have won three times from five starts on the Santa Anita main track, the comebacker Secret Circle may rate a slight advantage over Goldencents in spite of the rail post and lack of recency. He is 4-for-5 lifetime at the six-furlong distance while Goldencents, more adept at a mile during his career, is yet to win in three tries at three-quarters. Both were assigned 121 pounds.

Secret Circle drilled a handy five furlongs in a bullet :59 flat Sept. 28 at Santa Anita, best of 83 at the distance, whiled Goldencents tuned up with a five-furlong breeze of his own a day earlier in :59 3/5.

Goldencents' connections had considered running him Saturday in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland. But they changed course to stay on dirt and thus consider a title defense in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after Goldencents worked a dull half-mile on the Santa Anita lawn Sept. 20.

Of the others, Florida-bred Merit Man should be flying late with Corey Nakatani aboard. Trained by Bob Hess Jr., the 4-year-old With Distinction colt won his most recent out, the five-furlong Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar Aug. 13. He was third in last year’s Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) to eventual Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Orb  .

Trainer Mark Glatt sends out Ankeny Hill, who seeks his third straight win after notching his first stakes victory in the restricted six-furlong Pirate’s Bounty Stakes Sept. 3 at Del Mar. A 4-year-old colt by Sharp Humor, he’s owned by his breeder, Dr. Rodney Orr. Speedy Ankeny Hill drew the outside post and will be ridden back by Tyler Baze.

Completing the field are the Hong Kong invader Rich Tapestry, a group winner in both Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for trainer C. W. Chang, and 3-year-old Indexical, most recently seventh for trainer Ben Cecil in the Pat O'Brien.

Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. (gr. I)

Santa Anita Park , Saturday, October 04, 2014, Race 8
  • 6f
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 4:30 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Weight Trainer
1 Secret Circle (KY) Martin Garcia 121 Bob Baffert
2 Rich Tapestry (IRE) Olivier Doleuze 119 C. W. Chang
3 Goldencents (KY) Rafael Bejarano 121 Doug F. O'Neill
4 Merit Man (FL) Corey S. Nakatani 119 Robert B. Hess, Jr.
5 Indexical (KY) Mario Gutierrez 117 Ben D. A. Cecil
6 Ankeny Hill (KY) Tyler Baze 119 Mark Glatt