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

[Calzone Lord]

Secret Circle's probably going to be asked to rate a little with that wide draw and a few sprint speeds to his inside.

Should be fun to see how he runs with the first route now into him.

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.

Hard Spun failed in the Southwest from a similar wide draw, while rated for the 1st time, with stretchout sprinters drawn to his inside...but he was wide against a gold rail that day when 4th to Teufulesburg, Officer Rocket, and Forty Grams. Smarty Jones just held off the late run of Two Down Automatic when he won the Southwest.

I don't know if Secret Circle is in the mold of maybe a Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, Hard Spun type...all I really know is he's a very good, fast horse, who might or might not want more than a mile. Now is about the time when he has to show himself.