ARCADIA, Calif. — A competitive field of seven 3-year-olds, led by promising stablemates Potente and Cherokee Nation, is set for the Grade I, $500,000 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Potente enters the 1 1/8-mile race unbeaten in two starts and fresh off a narrow victory in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes earlier this month. The $2.4 million yearling purchase edged Robusta by a head in that race and will break from post 2 with Juan Hernandez aboard.
Cherokee Nation, also from the Baffert barn, brings the fastest speed figure in the field. After a fifth-place finish in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, he rebounded in dominant fashion with a 10-length maiden victory at Santa Anita, earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. He will break from the rail under Florent Geroux.
Robusta, trained by Doug O’Neill, nearly pulled off an upset in the San Felipe at 67-1 odds, briefly taking the lead in the stretch before being caught late by Potente. The colt returns with leading rider Emisael Jaramillo.
Grade I winner Intrepido adds further intrigue. Trained by Jeff Mullins, Intrepido captured the American Pharoah Stakes as a 2-year-old and most recently finished a close second in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes after a lengthy layoff. He will break from the outside post with Hector Berrios.
So Happy, trained by Mark Glatt, finished third in the San Felipe and previously won the Grade II San Vicente Stakes. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith retains the mount.
The field is rounded out by Vitruvian Man and Start the Ride as the Santa Anita Derby, a key prep race on the road to the Kentucky Derby, is scheduled as Race 10 with an approximate post time of 4:30 p.m. PT.
Saturday’s race will offer a final proving ground for West Coast contenders aiming to secure their place among the nation’s top 3-year-olds.