One thing was for certain at Santa Anita on Saturday — trainer Bob Baffert was a cinch to win the $200,000 Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes.
This is Baffert’s favorite time of year, when the top 3-year-olds in the country are sorting themselves out on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. He didn’t have anything to worry about in the Lewis because he trains all four horses who ran.
Newgate, the even-money favorite, rallied on the outside to beat 12-1 longshot Hard to Figure by a neck. Worcester and Arabian Lion completed the order of finish. Final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.11.
Baffert said winning jockey Frankie Dettori has been working with Newgate, a son of Into Mischief, trying to teach him to lay back, relax and then unleash a stong run to the finish. The strategy worked out perfectly Saturday.
“Newgate, with the experience of having two turns, got it done,” Baffert said. “I think this is why we have these races, these preps. You’re trying to figure out their styles. Newgate, before when we were sending him, he wasn’t finishing. I wasn’t sure how far he wanted to go.”
He showed he at least wants to go a mile and sixteenth, winning for the second time in six starts and padding his bankroll to $241,975 with the first-place check of $120,000. It was Newgate’s first stakes win in five tries after winning his debut by 3 1/2 lengths at Del Mar on July 30.
Said Dettori: “We had a good pace in the race, we came back in good time. Today we moved sharper and we beat some good horses. He was a little slow with his lead changes, but he ran well.”
Santa Monica Stakes
The beat goes on for Fun to Dream, the 1-2 favorite who won the $200,000 Grade II sprint for older fillies and mares under Juan Hernandez for Baffert by 2 1/2 lengths over Awake At Midnyte. Final time for the 7 furlongs on the main track was 1:22.75.
The 4-year-old daughter of Arrogate won for the sixth time in seven tries and is four for four at Santa Anita. She’s also four…
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