Plum Pretty, Secret Circle lead Baffert’s hopefuls on Breeders’ Cup Friday

Thursday | March 31, 2011

Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Plum Pretty and Secret Circle, the even-money morning line favorite in the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint, headline a quartet of Bob Baffert runners on the Friday, Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup card.

Candrea, one of the top choices in the Juvenile Fillies (G1), and Irish Gypsy, who goes postward in the seven furlong Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), round out the group.

Plum Pretty drew post 8 in the $2 million Ladies’ Classic (G1) and was installed as the 2-1 favorite for the 10th and featured race of the day at 7:30 p.m. The front-running filly tuned up for the Breeders’ Cup with a dominating 7 1/2-length win in the Grade 2 Cotillion at Parx Racing on Oct. 1. Since breaking her maiden a year ago at Santa Anita, the Peachtree Stable runner has competed exclusively in stakes. In the race prior to her Kentucky Oaks victory, she rolled to a 25-length win in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks. She has earned $1,296,700 in nine starts.

Secret Circle will be a heavy favorite in the inaugural running in the Juvenile Sprint. The 2-year-old bay son of Eddington has won both of his starts in impressive fashion: a 7 1/4-length maiden victory at Del Mar, followed by a 5 1/4-length score in the $71,000 Goodman S. at Santa Anita on Oct. 10. Secret Circle has earned $78,990 for the Pegram, Watson and Weitman partnership. The Juvenile Sprint, race five at 4:10 p.m., is the first Breeders’ Cup race of the day.

Candrea will get plenty of attention in $2 million Juvenile Fillies. Owned by the same group as Secret Circle, Candrea is two-for-three lifetime, with an easy win in the $50,000 P. D. Shepherd S. and a very game second in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf S. last month at Santa Anita. The bay daughter of Trippi has worked extremely well since that race and will likely be very close to the lead right out of the gate on Friday’s eighth race at 6:10 p.m.

Irish Gypsy made a big splash this summer with a front-running win in the Grade 2 A Gleam H. at Hollywood Park in July. That’s one of her three stakes wins in 2011. Owned by Mike Pegram and Hill n Dale Equine Holding, Irish Gypsy will come from post 2 in the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint; the seven furlong dash, race 7, will go off at about 5:30 p.m.

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