By Myra Lewyn,
Close Hatches will try to add a third top-level victory to her resume in the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I), in which she meets four opponents, including last year's winner On Fire Baby, April 11 at Oaklawn Park.
Juddmonte Farms' 4-year-old daughter of First Defence scored a comfortable win at the Arkansas oval in her most recent start. Leading all the way, she captured the March 15 Azeri Stakes (gr. III), run at the Apple Blossom's 1 1/16-mile distance, by 1 1/4 lengths. It was her first start in 4 1/2 months since finishing second to champion Beholder in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
Close Hatches was among the best of her division last year, notching victories Mother Goose and Cotillion Stakes (both gr. I) and taking the Gazelle Stakes (gr. II) for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. She will break from post one in the Apple Blossom under high weight of 121 pounds, including jockey Joel Rosario, while conceding from four to nine pounds to a quartet of challengers.
"She passed the first test and she's doing well, so we decided to send her back," Mott said. "I have no complaints about the weights. I hope she travels well and settles in well, and if she does that, I'm sure she'll run her race."
Anita Cauley's On Fire Baby was fourth in the Azeri after being off for more than five months. She won last year's Apple Blossom in her return from nearly a year on the sidelines, taking the race going wire to wire from Tiz Miz Sue. The 5-year-old Smoke Glacken mare owns a previous win at the distance at Oaklawn, capturing the 2012 Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) for trainer Gary "Red Dog" Hartlage, who enjoyed a breakthrough grade I win with her Apple Blossom victory. Assigned 115 pounds, she will start from post 4 with Joe Johnson at the reins.
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Let Faith Arise is seeking a second consecutive grade I win. After posting respective seconds in the La Canada and Santa Maria Stakes (both gr. II) in January and February, the 4-year-old Kafwain filly broke through at the elite level in the Santa Margarita Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita, the same day as the Azeri. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, she is assigned 117 pounds and will break from the outside post 5 with Corey Nakatani.
The field is rounded out by Kathleen Amaya and Raffaele Centofanti' Rose to Gold, a 4-year-old Friends Lake filly who won last year's Honeybee and Fantasy Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn, and Jerry and Ann Moss' Stanwyck, a 5-year-old Empire Maker mare who enters off a third to Let Faith Arise in the Santa Margarita.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84287/close-hatches-heads-compact-apple-blossom#ixzz2yLzQMM5P
By Jack Shinar
Secret Circle, a two-time graded stakes winner at Oaklawn Park as a 3-year-old in 2012, returns to the Hot Springs, Ark., track April 10 as the one to beat in the $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (gr. III).
The six-furlong Count Fleet is the first graded stakes of the Racing Festival of the South's closing weekend. It will be followed by the Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I) April 11 and the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) and Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) on the final card of the meet April 12.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, always a presence when the money is on the line at Oaklawn, sends the ultra-consistent Secret Circle back to Oaklawn for the first time since he finished second in the 2012 Arkansas Derby. Secret Circle won both the Southwest (gr. III) and Rebel (gr. II) stakes that season prior to the Arkansas Derby. But since then, the 5-year-old son of Eddington has been concentrating on sprint distances.
Winner of the Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park last fall, Secret Circle was a finalist for an Eclipse Award as last year's outstanding sprinter for owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. He has had one start this season, finishing second by a neck to Wild Dude as the 1-2 choice in the Palos Verdes Handicap (gr. II) Feb. 2.
Secret Circle missed about three weeks of training before returning to the work tab March 20 with a bullet four-furlong move of :46 flat. He followed that sterling drill with a six-furlong work in 1:11 1/5 from the gate March 29, and most recently posted a half mile in :47 flat April 4.
A field of six is set for the Count Fleet, which is the ninth race on the Thursday program with a 5:10 p.m. CDT scheduled post. Secret Circle, who drew the rail as the 123-pound highweight, is to have regular rider Martin Garcia aboard.
Baffert's only prior Count Fleet win came with High Stakes Player for Pegram in 1997. Secret Circle comes into the race with seven wins and three seconds in 10 lifetime starts with earnings of $1,918,790.
Secret Circle, who prefers to stalk from slightly off the pace, will have Louisiana-bred speedster Heitai as a target.
Rowell Enterprises' homebred ships in from his home state on a four-race stakes win streak for trainer Karl Broberg. The 4-year-old Fusaichi Pegasus gelding won each of those races handily, the most recent by five lengths over open company in the listed Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots March 8.
Heitai, a seven-time winner from 17 races with earnings of $394,943, will have his usual pilot Diego Saenz aboard from gate 3 while toting 120 pounds.
Oaklawn specialist Apprehender, pulled up early in last year's Count Fleet and sidelined 10 months afterward, makes his third start off the layoff. From the Chris Richard's barn for John and Chris Robson's Dream Farm, the 5-year-old Posse gelding comes off a third in the listed Hot Springs Stakes March 8 following a repeat victory in the King Cotton three weeks earlier.
David Mello is back aboard the multiple stakes winner Apprehender, who has captured four of nine starts over the Oaklawn main track.
Black Hawk Stable's Alsvid was second last time in the Hot Springs and second as well in the King Cotton for trainer Chris Hartman. A nine-time winner from 21 lifetime starts with earnings of $573,215, the 5-year-old Officer gelding counts six stakes among his victories as he attempts to break through at the graded level for the first time. Ken Tohill retains the mount.
Picko's Pride was second in last year's Count Fleet, unable to stave off the rallying Justin Phillip after leading most of the way at odds of 24-1. But the McLean Robertson trainee was off the board in both the King Cotton and Hot Springs.
Lemon Drop Dream, shipping in from Louisiana for trainer Steve Asmussen off a third in the Duncan Kenner in his initial stakes try, completes the field.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84232/secret-circle-back-at-oaklawn-for-count-fleet#ixzz2yLysmYVC
