Breeders' Cup Sprint

BREEDERS' CUP SATURDAY

PREVIEWS

BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT (G1),

10TH-SA, $1,500,000, 3YO/UP, 6F, 7:01PM, 11-2

East Coast shippers with no prior experience over the track have done

surprisingly well in past renewals of the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita,

winning three of the four previously contested on dirt. However, we'll go

against the grain and pick an Eastern-based contender who used to call

California home.

1ST -- FAST BULLET wasn't quite ready for prime time when trying the 2012

Sprint off two overnight wins, both of which occurred in the fall of 2011.

However, former trainer Bob Baffert knew there was something special about the

colt, who subsequently dominated allowances foes at Hollywood and then captured

the June 8 True North Handicap at Belmont off a six-month layoff.

Transferred from Baffert to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas in August, Fast

Bullet was the favored part of an odds-on entry in the August 31 Forego at

Saratoga. However, the five-year-old was outrun to the lead over a sloppy track

and gradually gave way in a discouraging effort.

Likely to see faster conditions while shortening up from seven furlongs, Fast

Bullet appears to have a legitimate chance here if able to repeat his True North

performance. He will also be reunited with Joel Rosario, who guided him to that

Belmont victory.

For fans of pedigree, Fast Bullet's family is replete with Breeders' Cup

influences. His sire, Speightstown, won this race at Lone Star Park in 2004.

Fast Bullet's dam, Renfro Valley Star, is the product of a mating between Dayjur,

who famously lost the 1990 Sprint at Belmont Park after jumping shadows shortly

before the wire, and Brave Raj, who captured the 1986 Juvenile Fillies at Santa

Anita.

2ND -- PRIVATE ZONE shipped east and ran that region's best sprinters off

their feet in the September 28 Vosburgh for trainer Doug O'Neill. Seizing

an uncontested lead, the gelding successfully fought off a challenge from JUSTIN

PHILLIP to win by a neck.

A champion in Panama prior to his re-importation, Private Zone has now won

two straight after going through a string of second-place finishes over this

circuit last winter. He was the runner-up in the $100,000 Damascus on the 2012

Breeders' Cup undercard, and occupied the same slot in the Vernon O. Underwood, Malibu and Palos Verdes.

As favorably as the track helped front runners a year ago, Private Zone is

far from being the only one here with early foot. Regardless of how the track is

playing, he will need to fight off not only speedy rivals but also closers who

will undoubtedly be aided by fractions he will help set.

3RD -- GENTLEMEN'S BET was bumped early and was conceding racing experience

over Keeneland's Polytrack when beaten into fourth as the favorite in last

month's Phoenix, but the Ron Moquett trainee should be well suited by a

return to dirt.

The four-year-old turned in some powerful efforts over the summer, cruising

by more than five lengths in a Churchill Downs allowance before taking down the

streaking Delaunay in the $122,000 Iowa Sprint H. at Prairie Meadows. He

couldn't quite hold off the closers JUSTIN PHILLIP and BAHAMIAN SQUALL in the

Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga after getting involved in a speed duel,

but his third-place effort was commendable nonetheless.

Back on his preferred surface and making his second start off a layoff, we

expect to see more from this potentially overlooked shipper.

OTHERS -- JUSTIN PHILLIP has enjoyed a career season while taking the

Vanderbilt and Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, but the Steve Asmussen trainee

struggled to contend over this surface last winter and might not be a fan of it.

The Bob Baffert-trained SECRET CIRCLE was impressive winning a

course-and-distance allowance on October 14, 18 months after running a distant

second to stablemate Bodemeister in the Arkansas Derby in his previous outing.

The Eddington colt has never finished worse than second in eight starts and won

the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill two years ago. We'll see how he

handles the tougher competition this time.

SUM OF THE PARTS, dueled into submission by eventual winner and champion

TRINNIBERG in last year's Sprint, is back for another try after turning in a

repeat victory in the Phoenix at Keeneland on October 4. While much more

formidable on synthetic surfaces, the speedy Speightstown colt only missed by

three lengths last year and could hang around a long time again if the track is

similarly speed-friendly.

Last year's winner TRINNIBERG has fared poorly in two of three starts since a

trip to Dubai, while THE LUMBER GUY has run below par since his runner-up finish

here a year ago.