Last seen running fourth as the favorite in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Feb. 7, heavily-favored Desert Gate (Omaha Beach) had no issue with a short field in the Hot Springs Stakes Thursday at Oaklawn Park, taking just three rivals gate to wire to win easily.
The 2-5 choice, who was racing with blinkers on for the first time, broke just a step slow but rushed up to lead from the rail ahead of 9-5 second choice Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule). The pair quickly separated themselves from the back markers into the final half-mile with Desert Gate galloping along nicely for Flavien Prat.
It appeared maybe for a moment that Soldier N Diplomat would make things interesting but, when the real running began midway around the turn into the short stretch, it was Desert Gate who shook away and quickly left his rival in his wake on the run to the sixteenth-pole wire.
Last year's GIII Best Pal Stakes winner and GI American Pharoah Stakes runner up came home under a hand ride, widening every stride to lead in the procession by nearly double-digit lengths while Race Ready (More Than Ready) just beat out Top Level (Upstart) for the final step on the podium.
“I wanted to get him out of there and get him into his rhythm,” Prat said. “Obviously, concerned about drawing inside. He jumped OK and I was able to get him on the lead. From there after that, I thought he was traveling very well. Obviously, I talked to (Bob) Baffert. He really wanted him to be forwardly placed.”
Desert Gate is one of 27 stakes winners from four crops to race for Omaha Beach. Theogony, a classy race mare in her own right with earnings north of $400,000, last passed through the sales ring late last year to the tune of $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale to Town & Country Horse Farms. Desert Gate is one of two foals to race by the mare and the lone winner though she has a 2-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt still to run. She is due this spring to G1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide.
🏜️ DESERT GATE ($2.80) leads them wire-to-wire in @OaklawnRacing's $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes with Flavien Prat in the saddle for trainer @BobBaffert and owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. Another stakes winner by @SpendthriftFarm stallion Omaha Beach. pic.twitter.com/l3BrXejbJt
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 26, 2026
HOT SPRINGS S., $192,000, Oaklawn, 3-26, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.03, ft.
1–DESERT GATE, 121, c, 3, by Omaha Beach
1st Dam: Theogony (SW-Can, SW & MGSP-USA, $404,544), by Curlin
2nd Dam: Upcoming Story, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Old Star (Arg), by Southern Halo
($125,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP;
$260,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson
and Paul Weitman; B-Twin Oaks Bloodstock (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
GSW/MGISP, 6-3-2-0, $372,000.
2–Soldier N Diplomat, 121, c, 3, Army Mule–Diplomatic Miss,
by Violence. ($950,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). O-St. Elias Stable;
B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Race Ready, 119, g, 3, More Than Ready-
-Reversethedecision, by Scat Daddy. ($65,000 2yo '25
OBSOPN). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Boyd L. Byers; B-Klaravich
Stables Inc. (KY); T-Norm W. Casse. $20,000.
Margins: 9 3/4, 7 3/4, NO. Odds: 0.40, 1.80, 11.60.
Also Ran: Top Level. Scratched: Bricklin, Lincoln's Law, Strategic Risk. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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