The Robert. B. Lewis Stakes has been dominated in recent years by one of Lewis’s premier trainers, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He has won the last seven editions of the Lewis among his thirteen lifetime victories in this Santa Anita Park race, with the last seven all coming via odds-on favorites. Baffert is training three of the seven three-year-olds competing in this year’s edition, with qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve awarded to the top five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.
1. Desert Gate (6-5 morning line odds): A graded stakes winner at age 2, he recently finished second to Intrepido in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes presented by DK Horse in October 2025. Bob Baffert-trained favorites have performed exceptionally well in this race, and Desert Gate looks to be the race to beat.
JOCKEY: Juan Hernández; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
2. Plutarch (4-1): Finished top three in a trio of stakes in 2025, including a third in US Pharoah behind Intrepido and Desert Gate. He comes into the Lewis after a dominant win in a 1 1/8 mile race and never runs a bad race. A legitimate contender.
JOCKEY: Florent Geroux; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
3. Cherokee Nation (5-1): Cherokee Nation, a $1.15 million purchase from the Keeneland yearling sale in September 2024, will make his fifth career start in the Robert B. Lewis, seeking his first win. He took a well-struck fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in his only previous stakes attempt. Two stablemates trained by Baffert would rather go inside.
JOCKEY: Antonio Fresu; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
4. Fearless (7-2): Compromised by a slow start, he finished in fifth place in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Before that, Intrepido won back-to-back races, including the American Pharoah Stakes on this main track. He has been steadily working on his three-year arc since November 24 and should be ready.
JOCKEY: Hector Berrios; TRAINER: Jeff Mullins
5. Briggs Army (30-1): Won three of four starts at Arapahoe Park, including the Gold Rush Futurity, before being redeemed at 2 in the Lost in the Fog Juvenile Stakes at Turf Paradise. The quality of competition here is increasing by several levels and speed figures indicate that this is a monumental task for Briggs Armypower.
JOCKEY: Tyler Baze; TRAINER: Daniel Jensen
6. Robusta (15-1): He was unplaced in his career debut on November 22 behind the sprint San Vicente deployment winner So happy but came back smartly with a lead on January 9 at this circuit and a distance of one mile. Robusta could be overlooked given the presence of the Baffert trio and Grade 1 winner Intrepido. That could be a mistake.
JOCKEY: Emisael Jaramillo; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill
7. Safe Freedom (6-1): Both starts to date have come at 6 ½ furlongs, the last of which dominated by 4 ½ lengths on December 28 on this main track. The speed figures for that win indicate he can match this group if he can handle the extra distance. Fascinating.
JOCKEY: Kazushi Kimura; TRAINER: Yaakteen team
THE CHOICE: Fearless
LIVE LONG SHOT: Robust
SUPERFECT: 4-7-2-6
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