Out of Bounds closed furiously in the Santa Anita homestretch to nab heavily favored Secret Circle in the final yards of the $100,000 Sham Stakes (gr. III).
A son of Discreet Cat owned by Darley Stable, Out of Bounds settled into the fourth position in a field of five as longshot Longview Drive set the early pace. Secret Circle, 1-2 favorite trained by Bob Baffert, was settling beautifully on the outside in second, followed by Handsome Mike in third on the outside. Hierro was the early trailer.
The opening fractions were testing, as Longview Drive held Secret Circle at bay through an opening quarter in :22.66 and a half-mile in :45.89. The positions remained unchanged until late on the final turn, when Secret Circle made his bid for the lead and Hierro began circling the field on the far outside. But turning for home Hierro's bid stalled, leaving Secret Circle and Longview Drive alone on the lead together with five sixteenths of a mile to go. But they wouldn't be alone for long, for Out of Bounds was charging hard under Garrett Gomez to be up just in time to win the race in 1:34.56.
Secret Circle was a half-length behind in second while another half-length in front of Longview Drive. Handsome Mike finished fourth, with Hierro trailing the field. Out of Bounds is trained by Eoin Harty, and it is worth noting that the colt has never raced on Lasix.
-Keelerman
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