2/18-20 (OP): Bayakoa; Spring Fever; Southwest (G3)

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

The sire of Secret Circle (Eddington) was beaten twice in a pair of maidens to start his career. He was a plodding type who developed into a Grade 1 winning 4yo who twice won Graded Stakes beyond 9 furlongs.

The dam of Secret Circle was a classy plodder who I remember well from Calder. She was beaten 21 and 13 lengths in her first two career tries in maiden races at Colonial Downs. Developed into a consistant closing router with a whole lot of Calder black type.

It's not a precocious and sprinter pedigree. It's more a developing plodder to developing plodder pedigree.

What's interesting is that Secret Circle's full brother, Eddington Limit, is an out-and-out speed horse.

[NTamm1215]

If Castaway wins another graded stake this year I'll need to be resuscitated. Today was his day.

[Kasept]

Preliminary Beyers: Secret Circle 102; Castaway 92.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

What's interesting is that Secret Circle's full brother, Eddington Limit, is an out-and-out speed horse.

You're right...and that's his only other sib to race so far.

Where the hell is the speed and precocity coming from in that pedigree?

Eddington was a plodding developing router. The dam Ragtime Hope was a plodding developing router. And Ragtime Hope's best sibling was Really Polish ... who was another deep closing router ...



She was 3rd in a slow paced Kentucky Oaks closing from 12th and finishing behind Keeper Hill and Banshee Breeze.

Those horses like Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Hard Spun ... they all had sprinters as sires and distance on the bottom. He's got distance top and bottom and can certainly sprint with any of those names...and those four horses all struggled with routing there first few tries. If anything, Secret Circle is better at a mile than any of them to this point.

Maybe I'm just totally fooled by his pedigree -- but he's still a very good and fast horse who is racing at such a high level from his debut on.

Like Hoss said, Baffert is hot right now. He's not rating anything either...if anything, the opposite.

[Indian Charlie]

It's not impossible for a horse with ND and Mr. P a few generations back to be speed oriented, but yah, it is strange.

Some other examples would be Moscow Ballet. He was considered strictly a sprinter in his brief career, and sired mostly speedier/sprint types. He was by Nijinsky II out of a half to Mill Reef.

Or Apalachee. By Round Table from the great Moccasin. This horse sired pure speed.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Those horses like Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Hard Spun ... they all had sprinters as sires and distance on the bottom.

Big Brown was obviously another one as well. His sire Boundry was a sprinter.

[outofthebox]

I think Bafferts and Bejarano have done a masterful job getting this colt to relax and finish a two turn race. When i watched this horse in the BC Sprint Juvi at that time i would have never thought of him racing like this. The pedigree has be baffled as well. I remember tossing him in his maiden race because of the "route" influence..