Bob Baffert's Potente Wins San Felipe Stakes At Santa Anita

Just 2 days earlier Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said he entered Potente successful nan Grade 2 title only because location really wasn’t anyplace other to tally him without leaving Santa Anita Park.

“I’m throwing him successful location successful nan heavy extremity of nan pool,” Baffert said. “You conscionable request to get races into these horses and that’s what we’re doing. We’ll spot what happens.”

It turns retired Potente is simply a beautiful bully swimmer.

He needed conscionable astir each of nan 1 1/16 miles but nan Into Mischief-sired colt, who costs proprietor Peter Fluor $2.4 cardinal arsenic a yearling, sewage up successful clip nether Juan Hernandez to separator 67-1 agelong changeable Robusta by a caput successful nan $200,000 Kentucky Derby prep race.

It was conscionable nan 2nd profession commencement for Potente, who won a six-furlong title Jan. 31 astatine Santa Anita.

“It was asking a lot,” Baffert said of pushing Potente from a maiden title to a Grade 2 stakes. “You know, [when] he collapsed his maiden he really didn’t tally that fast, but [Kazushi] Kimura, who rode him, said he wants to spell long. … I knew location was going to beryllium a accelerated gait because location ever is successful these races. For him to propulsion it off, that was truthful exciting.”

The gait so was fast, pinch Baffert’s 4-5 favourite Brant, coming disconnected a four-month layoff, and So Happy, a sprinter stretching retired for nan first time, going done six furlongs successful 1 minute, 10.42 seconds.Both would slice done nan stretch, pinch So Happy finishing 2 1/2 lengths backmost successful 3rd and Brant 7 lengths backmost successful fifth.

Robusta, making conscionable his 4th commencement for trainer Doug O’Neill, took nan lead successful nan precocious agelong but could not clasp disconnected nan winner.

“This equine has a batch of talent,” said Hernandez, who had a large time connected his 34th birthday. “He’s big, he’s beardown and he showed up today. … I deliberation he’s going to beryllium moreover amended adjacent time.”

Potente paid $18.20 arsenic nan 8-1 4th prime successful nan section of 7 aft completing nan region successful 1:42.92. The clip was astir two-thirds of a 2nd slower than past year’s San Felipe triumph by Journalism, who went connected to triumph nan Santa Anita Derby, Preakness and Haskell.

It’s measurement excessively early to deliberation Potente will move retired for illustration that, but he did gain 50 Kentucky Derby points, each but guaranteeing himself a spot successful nan starting gross astatine Churchill Downs. Baffert said Potente would commencement erstwhile much earlier nan Derby; 1 anticipation is nan Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby connected April 4, a title successful which different Baffert colt, Cherokee Nation, is expected to run.

Co-owner David Michael Talla, right, and trainer Bob Baffert savor Splendora’s triumph successful nan Grade I $300,000 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile.

(Benoit Photo via Asociated Press)

O’Neill said Robusta besides would commencement adjacent successful nan Santa Anita Derby.

The San Felipe Stakes was not nan only Derby prep title Saturday, nor nan only 1 pinch a astonishing result. At Tampa Bay Downs, The Puma, winless successful his only 2 anterior erstwhile starts, edged apical choices Further Ado (2-1) and Canaletto (3-2) to triumph nan Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby astatine likelihood of 7-1.

A boy of Essential Quality, The Puma ($16.80) raced wide astir some turns successful nan 1 1/16-mile title but was capable to outlast his rivals successful 1:43.23. Javier Castellano rode nan victor for trainer Gustavo Delgado.

More astatine Santa Anita

British Isles, who had ne'er won a stakes title successful 23 life starts, picked a bully clip to triumph his first, rallying to seizure nan Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap complete Vodka Vodka and Getaway Car. Ridden by Diego Herrera, nan 5-year-old boy of Justify returned $16.40 aft 1 1/4 miles successful a pedestrian 2:05.17. It was nan first Grade 1 triumph successful North America for Herrera; trainer Richard Baltas besides won nan Big ‘Cap successful 2021 pinch Idol.

Baffert and Hernandez teamed to triumph nan first of 4 stakes races astatine Santa Anita erstwhile Splendora ($2.20) romped to a 5 3/4-length triumph successful nan Grade 1 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile. It was nan 5th consecutive triumph for nan Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion, who ran nan mile successful 1:35.16. “Bob conscionable told me, ‘Don’t look backmost and conscionable person run.’ That is what we did,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez earned his 3rd consecutive triumph and 4th of nan time successful nan title aft nan San Felipe, nan Grade 2 Frank E. Kilroe Mile. Final Boss, by acold nan longest changeable successful nan section astatine 31-1, hit favored El Potente by half a magnitude to station a $65.40 triumph for trainer John Sadler.

One item connected nan undercard came successful nan 3rd title erstwhile Surfin’ U.S.A., a 3-year-old filly owned by Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer and Barry Siegel, relative of nan precocious handicapper Jeff Siegel, cruised to triumph successful an $80,000 optional claiming race. Ridden by Armando Ayuso for trainer Leonard Powell, Surfin’ U.S.A. returned $14.60 for her 2nd consecutive victory.