2024 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The road to the Kentucky Derby intensifies in early February across the country, and the series of Kentucky Derby prep races in Southern California continues on Saturday, February 3, with the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.

The one-mile dirt race offers a purse of $200,000 as well as 20-10-6-4-2 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the top five finishers trained by eligible conditioners. Those points are not enough to get the winner automatically into the race at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, but it gets them going the right way toward higher-point preps. Even if horses who do well in the Robert B. Lewis hit the board in other Kentucky Derby prep races, they will be in a good position to make it to the run for the roses.

Particularly on the Santa Anita spur of the Kentucky Derby trail, the limitation of points to horses trained by eligible trainers matters. Since Churchill Downs has continued its suspension of trainer Bob Baffert, horses in his barn can run in the race and earn purse money but cannot get Kentucky Derby points. Three of the nine entrants in the Robert B. Lewis are ineligible for points: morning-line favorite Nysos, Coach Prime, and Wine Me Up.

Even so, this race still has a chance to shed light on some Kentucky Derby prospects, including multiple graded-stakes placed Stronghold for trainer Phil D’Amato and the improving Better than Gold for Gary Mandella and the new face Scatify from the barn of John Sadler.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes 2023 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, February 3, 2023
• Track: Santa Anita
• Post Time: 2:15 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
• Distance: one mile
• Age: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Odds

This is the field for the 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, arranged by post position. It includes trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds for each horse. Even though the morning-line odds are not set prices for race day, they tend to provide a good overall picture of how the board is expected to look, meaning it can provide valuable context before placing a bet on the race.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Prep Results

The nine runners in the Robert B. Lewis come from six different races. Four come out of the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on December 16. Although upset winner Wynstock ships out to Oaklawn for the Southwest (G3) instead of contesting the Lewis, the other four horses in the Los Alamitos Futurity turn up in this spot. Stronghold was a close second in the Los Alamitos Futurity, just ahead of Coach Prime, while Wine Me Up and Ace Of Clubs come into this race with more to prove.

Two other runners come out of stakes races. Morning-line favorite Nysos, undefeated in two outings, makes his first start since an 8 ¾-length tour de force victory in the Bob Hope (G3) on November 19. Moonlit Sonata, last seen running a flat fifth in the San Vicente (G2), tries to bounce back in the Robert B. Lewis.

The rest of the field comes out of maiden races. Better Than Gold woke up when he stretched out to a mile at Del Mar on December 2, and makes his first start since then. Outside-drawn Scatify has raced just once, but that lone start was a game half-length maiden win in a dirt sprint at Los Alamitos. The only maiden in the field, Mc Vay, was most recently a well-beaten second in a maiden sprint on January 20 at Santa Anita.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, organized by post position:

Wine Me Up: This son of Vino Rosso does his best work from the lead, meaning he is going to have to gun it from the fence to have his best chance. The fact that he broke his maiden on debut gives him upside off the layoff, and even though there are some other horses with speed, he is the only one-way speed in the race. Distance is the question: though his only win came sprinting, his pedigree is all about both distance and time to mature, giving him upside.

Ace of Clubs: With six starts, this Doug O’Neill trainee is the most experienced runner in the field. His only victories came in a $100,000 maiden claiming sprint and a starter-optional claiming sprint last year. He hasn’t been able to keep pace in three stakes-company starts since then. Though his pedigree gives him some upside with time, and his pedigree suggests he should be able to handle a mile, this is still a lot to ask first off the layoff.

Better Than Gold: He was a no-show on debut in a sprint, getting thrashed by the likes of Nysos, but a route try second-out woke him up, and he won by a good-looking, late-running neck. The concern is that trainer Gary Mandella tends to underperform in graded-stakes races, but big-race jockey Mike Smith sees fit to return to the irons, and the return to a two-turn mile configuration is a positive. If he gets enough pace to reel in, he could be a major threat late.

Moonlit Sonata: He rallied late to upset his maiden special weight sprint debut last November at Del Mar, but could not repeat the magic against the likes of Muth in the San Vicente last month. He needs to improve a lot to have a win chance, though the step up to two turns is a good move for both his pedigree and his trainer, Tim Yakteen, giving him a long-shot chance to round out an exotic wager.

Coach Prime: He impressed when breaking his maiden second-out, his first try on dirt. And, though he was beaten at odds on in the Los Alamitos Futurity by stablemate Wynstock, he was still only beaten a length in the end. The cut back to a flat mile could get him going the right way in his three-year-old debut, and blinkers-off is a huge positive for trainer Bob Baffert.

Nysos: He blew out his competition in both starts so far, winning both a maiden sprint at Santa Anita and the Bob Hope at Del Mar by open lengths in fast fashion. He will be a heavy favorite off of those efforts. It is also positive that he has shown tactical speed, and that jockey Flavien Prat sees fit to return to the irons. The biggest question is the stretch out to two turns: he has yet to try a distance this long, though his pedigree suggests he should handle it well.

Stronghold: Though his only win in four starts came in maiden company, a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs, he has not been disgraced in a pair of west-coast graded-stakes starts since then. He was a distant second behind Nysos in the one-turn Bob Hope, and then only beaten half a length in the Los Alamitos Futurity, a two-turn race. The two-turn mile should suit him well. He has the tactical versatility to set the pace or stalk, and trainer Philip D’Amato is smart about spotting horses in big races. All told, he has an appealing chance to upset the Baffert brigade.

Mc Vay: The lone maiden in the field, he has been well beaten in both starts so far. His second outing was an improvement over his first, and his pedigree suggests he has even more room to move forward, given that this will be his first try at two turns. It’s also a positive to see his new jockey, Umberto Rispoli, having such a hot start to the Santa Anita meet. However, he has to go a lot faster to be competitive here, and this may be too much, too soon.

Scatify: This John Sadler trainee put up a solid debut, tracking the pace and battling on to win a six-furlong maiden special at Los Alamitos by half a length. The outside draw could afford him a clean trip in this spot, and it would be no surprise to see this son of Justify stretch out successfully. The lack of experience is the big concern for this one, so make sure to demand a price before taking a shot.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

The Robert B. Lewis has been the Bob Baffert show in recent years. Baffert not only has 11 wins in the race, but has won it seven of the last 10 years, including each of the last five years.

Most of Baffert’s recent winners of the race have come out of the Los Alamitos Futurity. In fact, five of those seven recent winners of the Robert B. Lewis have finished in the Los Alamitos Futurity exacta. Dortmund (2015), Mor Spirit (2016), and Thousand Words (2020) won, while Mucho Gusto (2019) and Messier (2022) ran second. His other two winners each came out of a race no longer on the Santa Anita Derby prep calendar, the Sham (G3). Medina Spirit (2021) and Newgate (2023) each came out of second-place finishes in that race.

Among the three other winners in the last ten years who were not trained by Baffert, Candy Boy (2014) also came out of a second-place win in the Cashcall Futurity, a race at Hollywood Park that became the Los Alamitos Futurity later. The other two, Royal Mo (2017) and Lombo (2018), both came out of third-out maiden special weight wins.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Card

The Robert B. Lewis Stakes is part of a ten-race Saturday card at Santa Anita featuring four graded stakes. The other graded races on the card include the $100,000 Megahertz (G3) for older turf-mile fillies and mares, the $100,000 Thunder Road (G3) for older turf milers, and the $200,000 Santa Monica (G2) for older female turf sprinters.

Saturday’s card at Santa Anita will be a showcase in many divisions, and there is important racing across the country including Kentucky Derby prep races at Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, and Aqueduct, as well. You can watch all the action on FanDuel TV and place your bets through FanDuel and TVG!

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park began as a part of Rancho Santa Anita. After a series of owners, it was acquired by horse breeder Lucky Baldwin, who built the original Santa Anita Park in 1904. That facility closed in 1909 after a California law banning racetrack gambling, and burned down in 1912. Horse racing became legal again in California in 1933, after which the Los Angeles Turf Club was formed. They built a new track, the present Santa Anita, which opened on Christmas Day in 1934.

The main track at Santa Anita Park is a one-mile dirt oval. The turf track inside of it is a 0.9-mile grass oval. A unique feature of that Santa Anita turf track is the downhill course, which juts out to the northwest over the far turn, crosses over the dirt, and then joins the turf oval. Santa Anita runs 6 ½-furlong turf sprints over that course, and also uses it as a start for some of its longer turf routes.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: The 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes will be run on Saturday, February 3 at 2:23 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Q: Where is the Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: It takes place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert has won the race 11 times, stretching back to its days as the Santa Catalina Stakes. However, most of his success has been recent: he has won the last five editions of the race. He trains three of the nine entrants in the 2024 edition: morning-line favorite Nysos, Coach Prime, and Wine Me Up.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: Nysos is the 4-5 morning-line favorite for the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Even though he has yet to try a two-turn trip, he has won both of his races impressively enough that he should be a well-defined favorite in the Robert B. Lewis.

Q: Who is the best Robert B. Lewis Stakes jockey?

A: The best Robert B. Lewis jockeys of all time are Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay, Jr., both of whom won the race seven times. However, both are retired. Flavien Prat, rider of favored Nysos, leads all riders in this year’s edition with two victories. He won in 2018 with Lombo and 2020 with Thousand Words.

Q: Who won the 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: Newgate won the 2023 Robert B. Lewis Stakes for trainer Bob Baffert and rider Frankie Dettori. Baffert and Dettori reunite with Coach Prime in 2024, and Baffert also sends out Nysos and Wine Me Up.

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