Potente has lived up to his impeccable credentials in every category, making him an ideal morning-line favorite for the April 4 Santa Anita Derby (G1). Yet the other six entrants have their own strengths, to the point that Potente is listed at "only" 2-1.
Start with Potente's pedigree—he is by perennial leading sire Into Mischief out of a stakes-placed daughter of champion turf female Perfect Sting. That and his physique made him a $2.4 million yearling purchase from The Saratoga Sale in Upstate New York in 2024. He races for Speedway Stables.
Potente joined the Bob Baffert stable, which automatically gives him an excellent chance on the Triple Crown trail. The colt has done everything asked of him so far—a debut victory Jan. 31 at six furlongs, obviously shorter than his pedigree dictates, followed by a gritty head score in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe Stakes (G2). Juan Hernandez piloted Potente in the San Felipe and will return in the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles.
"Potente came in a little late," Baffert said. "I had him in at Del Mar, but I didn't run him at Del Mar. I backed off of him a little bit—he just wasn't ready. I really didn't think he could win first out, and he won. It was pretty impressive for him in his second out to win a stakes like that. He was just getting rolling at the end, so distance-wise a mile and an eighth is not going to be a problem for him at all."
In the San Felipe, Potente was the "other" Baffert, an 8-1 fourth choice behind Baffert's odds-on favorite, Brant. Baffert said that Potente got "a good schooling—he was behind horses and got a lot of dirt" in the San Felipe.
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Baffert-trained Cherokee Nation, a $1.15 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale buy and a son of current North American leading sire Not This Time , is the projected second favorite at 5-2 on the morning line. The partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan race Cherokee Nation.
That it took the colt six attempts before he posed in the winner's circle might make him suspect. But because of limited options in routes against easier competition, Baffert said he had to run Cherokee Nation "in spots I didn't really want to run him in." Those included the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Feb. 7 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. The victory, when it came, was massive: a 10-length romp at a mile Feb. 27.
"It took him a while to figure it out," Baffert said. "He was not a good gate horse. But after a lot of work, he hasn't been a problem at the gate. If he repeats that last race—it was off the charts."
Both Baffert horses are drawn inside, starting positions that may require good starts for the colts to produce their best. Cherokee Nation breaks from post 1 under Florent Geroux and Potente in post 2 beneath Hernandez.
Baffert won't be the only trainer looking for Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points in the Santa Anita Derby, which offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to its top five finishers. Trainer Doug O'Neill, who has two Kentucky Derby (G1) wins to Baffert's six, is bringing two candidates: Robusta and Vitruvian Man.
Robusta lost by just that head to Potente in the San Felipe after a wide trip left him unplaced in the Lewis. He defeated Cherokee Nation in his second start and is a Calumet Farm homebred son of champion Accelerate.
Vitruvian Man has more to prove. His only win came at Keeneland last fall, followed by a second at Churchill Downs and a third at Turfway Park. The son of champion Vino Rosso is making his 3-year-old debut.
So Happy, trained by Mark Glatt, ran third behind Potente and Robusta in the San Felipe after winning his racing debut and the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes (G2). As a son of Runhappy, So Happy still most show he wants two turns. Being out of a Blame mare should help in that regard.
Trainer Jeff Mullins has entered Intrepido, second to Baffert-trained Plutarch in the Lewis. Last year, Intrepido defeated Baffert-trained Desert Gate and Plutarch in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) before running fifth after a slow start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). Intrepido is a grandson of Into Mischief, being by Maximus Mischief .
Start the Ride is the lone California-bred in the field of Kentucky-breds. He is a homebred son of Upstart from the breeding program of the late John Harris' Harris Farms. Though his resume shows a fourth in his first outing, Start the Ride was declared a non-starter in that race because it was determined that the assistant starter had held onto the reins too long after the gate opened. Start the Ride then captured the California Cup Derby against state-breds before getting away slowly in the San Felipe and finishing unplaced.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 4, 2026, Race 10Entries: Santa Anita Derby (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Cherokee Nation (KY) Florent Geroux 124 Bob Baffert 5/2 2 2Potente (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 124 Bob Baffert 2/1 3 3Vitruvian Man (KY) Antonio Fresu 124 Doug F. O'Neill 15/1 4 4Robusta (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 124 Doug F. O'Neill 8/1 5 5So Happy (KY) Mike E. Smith 124 Mark Glatt 7/2 6 6Start the Ride (CA) Armando Ayuso 124 Dan Blacker 30/1 7 7Intrepido (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 124 Jeff Mullins 7/2
