Robert B. Lewis S.

Things may not have gone strictly according to script for undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S., as he was perhaps a half-step slowly away, and with a trio of rivals hellbent on being part of the pace battle, was forced to sit farther off the speed than he'd done in either of his previous towering victories. At the end of the day, it mattered very little, as the Bob Baffert trainee came with a bold run three wide into the lane and went...

With a forecast that calls for more than two inches of rainfall Sunday, officials at Santa Anita Park have preemptively canceled live racing scheduled for that afternoon. The program was to feature the GIII $100,000 Las Virgenes S. for 3-year-old fillies and the GIII San Marcos S. for older male turf horses. Those two races have been rescheduled for next Saturday, Feb. 10, with the races to be redrawn Wednesday, Feb. 7. Saturday's forecast calls for no such inclement weather and racing will go on as planned. Four graded contests...

Repole Stable's newly crowned Eclipse Award winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) is set to make a much-anticipated sophomore debut in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S., and--realistically--the homebred may not require his very best to make a victorious return to action. Brilliant as he was in breaking his maiden by better than 11 lengths at first asking in Uncle Mo-esque fashion over the summer at Saratoga, he was equally disappointing when beaten a long ways from home in the GI Champagne S. Those who quickly jumped ship...

'TDN Rising Star' Newgate (Into Mischief), the winner of last Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita under Frankie Dettori, has been diagnosed with a minor hock issue that will prevent him from making a start in the GI Kentucky Derby. The news of the injury was announced on Twitter early Friday by Tom Ryan, the managing partner of one of the colt's owners, SF Racing LLC. "His prognosis to return is excellent," Ryan wrote. "We look forward to seeing him back this summer." Ryan also wrote that...

Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit (Protonico) set a searching early pace in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. over a Santa Anita main track that yielded below-par times in the aftermath of storms that dropped as much as 2 1/2 inches of rain in and around Arcadia. He was there for the taking in the final eighth of a mile, but the Florida-bred dug in doggedly to take a three-way photo from Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow). "That reminded me a...

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will have two shots at adding to his growing record with a potential ninth win in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. The improving $1-million Keeneland September graduate Spielberg (Union Rags), MGISP as a juvenile, posted a hard-fought, breakthrough nose victory in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity last time Dec. 19. The runner-up that day The Great One (Nyquist), meanwhile, returned with a flashy, 14-length maiden victory for trainer Doug O'Neill last weekend, good for a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. Baffert will...

Already a winner of the GI Kentucky Derby with 2016 hero Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) in 2012, trainer Doug O'Neill is looking forward to the New Year with Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Wipe the Slate (Nyquist) and Team Merchants (Nyquist) among his well-regarded sophomores. Hot Rod Charlie worked five furlongs at Santa Anita Saturday in a bullet :59.40, fastest of 64 drills at the distance. A narrow winner in his fourth career start at Santa Anita on October, Hot Rod Charlie closed to finish second-at...