OTB Breeders' Cup Sprint

The seventh of nine Breeders’ Cup World Championships races to be run at Santa Anita Park on Saturday is the $1,500,000 Sprint, for three-year-olds and up at 6 furlongs on the quick Santa Anita dirt. Twelve colts and geldings are expected to go to the gate, with the morning line favorite, Private Zone at 3-1 and breaking from the middle of the field in post #7. A four-year-old Ontario-bred, Private Zone has won his last two, including the Grade I Vosburgh Stakes, where he was passed in deep stretch by Sprint contender Justin Phillip (4-1) but re-surged for the head win.

Santa Anita surface a question for Justin Phillip

Prior to that one, Justin Phillip, a five-year-old with 31 lifetime starts to his credit was the beaten favorite in the Grade I Forego Stakes, finishing third behind Strapping Groom, who is not starting here, after winning the Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt by two lengths over Bahamian Squall, 10-1 on the ML for the Sprint. Of concern is that Justin Phillip has faired poorly in his previous three starts at Santa Anita, finishing third once, and fifth twice.  The Vanderbilt was his first Grade I score in six tries.

Secret Circle has done it before

Although he’s only run in one mid-level allowance event this year, which he won, Secret Circle (4-1) could be primed for a big one. In 2011 he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, and in limited action last year he won the Grade II Rebel and the Grade III Southwest Stakes, and finished second in the Grade I Arkansas Derby and Grade II Sham Stakes. The allowance race he used as the tune-up for this just happened to be at 6 furlongs on the Santa Anita track, and he tripped the timer in a blazing 1:07.98.

Post time for the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Sprint is 4:01 PM PDT