2012 Kentucky Derby Prep Races – Santa Anita’s Sham Stakes Gaining in Significance

The Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park offers an early glimpse of some of California's leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby. First run in 2001, the Sham was previously contested at 1 1/8-miles in mid-March. However, in 2011 Santa Anita moved up the Grade 3 contest to the beginning of January and reduced to a flat-mile in order to provide a more logical launching point for horses with Derby aspirations.

Horses being pointed to the 2012 Sham, to be run Jan. 7, include Breeders' Cup Sprint hero Secret Circle along with multiple Stakes winner Majestic City and Longview Drive among others.

All eyes figure to be on Secret Circle in the Sham. All three starts to this point for Secret Circle, all wins, came at sprint distances. The racing world will be watching to see if the undefeated son of Eddington can carry his speed around two-turns and stamp himself as a viable Kentucky Derby contender.

The Sham Stakes is named after the racehorse of that name who ran in the early 1970's. Sham won the 1973 Santa Anita Derby, but unfortunately was a member of the same 3-year-old crop as the legendary Secretariat. Sham finished 2 1/2-lengths back of Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby and was again runner-up to Secretariat two weeks later. Secretariat would go on to win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, but Sham's noble effort against one of racing's all-time greatest has made him revered in the minds of racing fans.

The two most notable winners in the 11 previous runnings of the Sham Stakes would have to be Bob and John in 2006 and Colonel John in 2008. The latter, trained by Eoin Harty, would use the Sham as a stepping stone to winning to the Santa Anita Derby a month later. Colonel John would later add a win in the prestigious Travers Stakes at Saratoga, also known as the Mid-Summer Classic.

Bob and John, trained by Bob Baffert, would follow his win in the Sham with a victory in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, which is the final major Kentucky Derby prep in New York. He would finish a disappointing 17th in the Kentucky Derby four weeks later.

Baffert leads all trainers in Sham wins with two, while Victor Espinoza has the most among jockeys with three.

The Sham Stakes is undoubtedly a race growing in prominence and each year is likely to feature a horse or two that will go on to the Kentucky Derby.