The memory of one of the sport’s finest gentlemen will be honored with Sunday’s edition of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The stakes is a qualifier for the 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve with 10-4-2-1 points distributed to the top four finishers, although trainer Bob Baffert’s horses remain ineligible for Kentucky Derby points and he trains two of the five starters in a small field.
Don’t miss “Santa Anita: Road to the Derby Live!” produced by America’s Best Racing, a livestream that will cover the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at “The Great Race Place” Sunday with a start time to be announced. “Santa Anita: Road to the Derby Live!” will be hosted by ABR’s Dan Tordjman, Ren Carothers, Curtis Kalleward and Jessica Paquette and be streamed on both ABR’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels as well as on Santa Anita’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.
1. Messier (6-5 morning-line odds): He comes off a second in the Los Alamitos Futurity and returns to Santa Anita, where he broke his maiden quite easily. From the rail, he might grab the early lead and not look back. Either he or Wharton could give Baffert a fourth straight Lewis victory.
JOCKEY: John Velazquez; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
2. Sir London (9-5): After a pair of seconds in his first two starts, he broke his maiden in a big way, winning by 10 lengths at a mile. If he moves forward off that performance, he will be a major factor here. Interesting to note that jockey Flavien Prat, who had been riding Messier, will stick with this Simon Callaghan-trained 3-year-old.
JOCKEY: Flavien Prat; TRAINER: Simon Callaghan
3. Cabo Spirit (8-1): His career turned around when he was shifted to turf racing. Perhaps he’ll perk up on dirt this time around, but that seems unlikely here against a small, but talented field of rivals.
JOCKEY: Victor Espinoza; TRAINER: George Papaprodromou
4. Wharton (4-1): Another Baffert starter, he won at first asking at Santa Anita, although it was a 6 ½-furlong sprint. His recent workouts paint him as a main contender, however, in this race’s game of musical jockeys, John Velazquez leaves him to ride Messier.
JOCKEY: Juan J. Hernandez; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
5. Happy Jack (6-1): A debut winner for Doug O’Neill, he turned in a promising effort while winning at six furlongs. His pedigree, as a son of Preakness winner Oxbow, indicates he should handle stretching out in distance. Whether he’s classy enough to handle graded stakes rivals is the question mark.
JOCKEY: Abel Cedillo; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill
THE PICK: Messier
LIVE LONGSHOT: Happy Jack
SUPERFECTA: 1-2-4-5
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Jockey /
John R. Velazquez -
Trainer /
Bob Baffert -
Owner /
Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Donovan, Catherine, Masterson, Robert E. and Schoenfarber, Jay A. -
Breeder /
Sam-Son Farm
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Jockey /
Juan J. Hernandez -
Trainer /
Bob Baffert -
Owner /
Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Donovan, Catherine, Masterson, Robert E. and Schoenfarber, Jay A. -
Breeder /
KatieRich Farms
