Sabercat, Secret Circle highlight 13-horse Rebel

by James Scully

Eleven of the 13 contestants in Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Rebel Stakes are

based locally at Oaklawn Park, but Southern California invaders Sabercat and

Secret Circle are the top draws in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Derby prep race

for three-year-olds.

Sabercat will make his first start since winning the Grade 3, $1 million

Delta Jackpot Stakes last November. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the dark bay colt

guaranteed himself a spot in the Kentucky Derby field with the $600,000 winner's

share, rallying from the back of the field to win going by four lengths, and is

returning off a 119-day hiatus Saturday.

A son of Bluegrass Cat, Sabercat will bring a three-race win skein into the

Rebel, winning a maiden special weight and the Garden State Stakes at Monmouth

Park prior to the Delta Jackpot, and receives a rider switch to Corey Nakatani.

Nakatani guided the Asmussen-trained Nehro to a runner-up finish in the 2011

Kentucky Derby.

Secret Circle exits a victory in the second division of the Grade 3 Southwest

Stakes at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track. He is trained by Hall of Famer Bob

Baffert, a three-time Kentucky Derby winner who will be going for his third

straight Rebel victory.

Unbeaten in three starts at shorter distances last year, including a

front-running score in the inaugural edition of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Sprint, Secret Circle sustained his first setback when making his two-turn debut

in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on January 7. However, the Eddington colt did not run

poorly in defeat, finishing a half-length second to the now-sidelined Out of

Bounds, and came right back to post a commendable win in the Southwest,

completing the one-mile distance a full second faster than the winner of the

first division. Jockey Rafael Bejarano will retain the mount on the speedy bay.

Scatman, who showed the way before finishing a half-length second to Secret

Circle, will likely show speed from post 2 Saturday. He likes the local oval,

opening the year with an impressive win over entry-level allowance/optional

claiming event at six furlongs, and will look to keep to moving forward in his

second attempt at two turns. Regular rider Luis Quinonez has the call for

trainer Michael Lauer. Adirondack King and Cyber Secret, the respective third-

and fifth-place finishers in the second division of the Southwest, will also

return in the Rebel.

Castaway, winner of the first division of the Southwest, did not make a

return trip to Oaklawn, but runner-up Jake Mo and third-placer Reckless Jerry

will both be back in the Rebel line-up. Atigun, fifth in the Grade 2 Kentucky

Jockey Club Stakes in his juvenile finale, will try stakes company again after

opening 2012 with an allowance/optional claiming victory over the track. Najjaar

will make his stakes bow following a pair of good-looking wins over maiden and

allowance/optional claiming rivals at Oaklawn.

The Grade 3, $150,000 Azeri Stakes for fillies and mares will be offered a

couple of races earlier on the program. It lacks the star power from last year,

when Havre de Grace defeated Blind Luck, but will feature a fairly contentious

field of five over 1 1/16 miles. Absinthe Minded, Tiz Miz Sue and She's All In,

the respective one-two-three performers from both the Bayakoa and Pippin this

meet, will meet once again, and the top two finishers from the February 11

Tiffany Lass Stakes, Joyful Victory and Ravi's Song, have both shipped in from

Fair Grounds.