Baffert Aims for More Success in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

Should Bob Baffert win this year's Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) Feb. 7 at Santa Anita Park, he would extend his streak of success to eight straight victories and 14 scores overall in this early-season Kentucky Derby (G1) prep. That remarkable streak would be celebrated. Celebrated, for an hour or two; before talk would soon turn to how none of those winners went on to classic glory. Such is racing. But make no mistake, Baffert has showcased many of his top 3-year-olds in the Lewis and while none of his previous winners of the race have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, there is a big asterisk; as well as some considerable reasons to believe this frequent path for the Racing Hall of Fame trainer could soon deliver in the Triple Crown. In an effort to secure a remarkable eighth straight victory in the $100,000 Lewis, Baffert will send out a trio of talented runners in Saturday's two-turn mile test. That trio includes Desert Gate, a grade 3-winning son of Omaha Beach who will make his 3-year-old debut after closing 2025 with runner-up finishes in a pair of grade 1 tests. Scheduled to break from the rail, Desert Gate is the 6-5 morning-line favorite. The trainer's other two runners in the race scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET are Cherokee Nation, a maiden who has put together some strong runs against quality competition; and grade 1-placed Plutarch. Should one of those three come through, they certainly shouldn't be discounted just because the Lewis has not been the most fruitful Derby path for the trainer. First of all, there's that "asterisk." The 2021 Lewis winner, Medina Spirit, scored a front-running victory in the Kentucky Derby only to later be disqualified after a failed postrace drug test. He then finished third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and later that year secured a grade 1 win when defeating older horses in the Awesome Again Stakes (G1). While the classics have proven elusive for Baffert's Lewis Stakes winners, several have shown their class in other races. Last year Citizen Bull, champion juvenile male of 2024, romped to a 3 3/4-length win in his 3-year-old debut in the Lewis. While he would fail to place in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby, he closed the season with a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). And the winner of that Dirt Mile? That would be Baffert-trained Nysos, winner of the 2024 Lewis. Other Lewis Stakes winners to go on to grade 1 victories for Baffert include 2023 winner Newgate, who captured the 2024 Santa Anita Handicap (G1); 2019 Lewis winner Mucho Gusto, winner of the 2020 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1); and 2016 Lewis winner Mor Spirit, who captured the 2017 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) by 6 1/4 lengths. Dortmund, winner of the 2015 Lewis, went on to capture the Santa Anita Derby before finishing third to stablemate and eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby. American Pharoah prepared for his classic sweep with victories in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. Pioneerof the Nile posted a clear victory in the 2009 Lewis and then led in the stretch of the Kentucky Derby before 50-1 Mine That Bird took command midstretch. General Challenge won the Lewis, then known as the Santa Catalina Stakes, in 1999. The gelding would follow that success with a victory in the Santa Anita Derby and that year's Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) before taking the 2000 Santa Anita Handicap. Also adding to the recent importance of the Lewis as an early classic prep is a Kentucky Derby qualifying points system that focuses on two-turn races. This has made the Lewis a more attractive target compared with the 7-furlong San Vicente Stakes (currently G2), where Baffert's first Derby winner, Silver Charm, started his 3-year-old season Feb. 8, 1997. In fact, as the race carries no Derby qualifying points, the San Vicente has been moved to earlier in the year. So Happy won this year's edition, contested Jan. 10, for trainer Mark Glatt. While the records currently suggest the Lewis is not necessarily the preferred path for Baffert's classic-minded 3-year-olds, there is Medina Spirit, a long list of quality runners, and some changing dynamics to today's Triple Crown that suggest his next Lewis winner could provide the breakthrough. As it is, this year's trio will first have to contend with the likes of 2025 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) winner Intrepido and some others Saturday as Baffert attempts to extend one of the more remarkable current streaks in racing.