2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The west coast spur of the road to the Kentucky Derby turns up the heat on Saturday, February 1, with the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. The dirt mile, open to three-year-olds, offers not only a $200,000 purse but also 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers in the race.

Although the race drew a field of only five, it is particularly notable because it features the sophomore debut of the champion two-year-old of 2024: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull. Trained by Bob Baffert, Citizen Bull lines up alongside two of his stablemates, plus two other runners set to spoil the party. With Bob Baffert’s eligibility at Churchill Downs being reinstated for the 2024-25 Kentucky Derby prep race season, all runners in the field can earn points.

The race we now know as the Robert B. Lewis began as the Santa Catalina. It has been through many incarnations: a handicap for older horses, a California-bred feature, even a three-furlong scramble for juveniles. The race has been a sophomore feature since 1964, and was named after California racehorse owner Robert B. Lewis in 2007.

Two Kentucky Derby winners have won the Robert B. Lewis on the way to the run for the roses: Ferdinand (1986) and I’ll Have Another (2012). Medina Spirit (2021) also won the Robert B. Lewis and crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby, though he was subsequently disqualified for a positive test. Other important winners of this race in its sophomore era include Sham (1973), Artax (1998), Pioneerof the Nile (2009), and Mucho Gusto (2019).

Robert B. Lewis Stakes 2025 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025
• Track: Santa Anita
• Post Time: 1:28 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
• Distance: one mile
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Odds

These are the entrants in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each runner. Although odds will change from the morning line until the time of the race, they can still be a good guide to which horses are expected to take money, and it can be useful to compare them to both your own assessment of each horse’s chances and the action each horse is actually taking on the tote board.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Prep Results

All five horses entered in the Robert B. Lewis come out of different prep races. Two are last-out graded-stakes winners. Citizen Bull comes out of the win in the most important juvenile race of the year in the United States, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on November 1 at Del Mar. Clock Tower won the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) on December 1, a race on the Del Mar grass.

The other horse coming out of a stakes race is Valentines Candy, who disputed the pace early before fading to eighth in the King Glorious against fellow California-breds.

The two other entrants come out of maiden special weight victories, both at second asking. Madaket Road tracked the pace and battled on to win a maiden dirt sprint at Santa Anita on December 26. Rodriguez earned his diploma on January 4 at Santa Anita in a dirt mile, leading at every call.

Robert B. Lewis Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, organized by post position:

1. Madaket Road: The C-string entrant from the Bob Baffert brigade, Madaket Road comes out of a victory in a six-furlong maiden race on December 26 and now stretches out to a mile for the first time. A mile should be well within his abilities from a pedigree standpoint, and Baffert does shine stretching horses out to two turns for the first time. He does need to step up from a speed perspective, however, though he is lightly raced enough for that to be possible. In terms of pace, he does have tactical speed and may be in a good place, especially if the pace gets into a fight.
2. Citizen Bull: If he comes back the same horse he was in his pair of route starts at age two, he will take some beating. The biggest question is pace: he led at every call of both the American Pharoah (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, though going back to his sprint debut he can win from a pressing spot as well. Whether he can repeat that against better horses is the question since it would be no surprise for either Rodriguez or Clock Tower to be the pacesetter instead, and Citizen Bull is drawn inside both of them.
3. Rodriguez: Speed is the name of the game with this one. He has shown pace in both of his starts, and though he was overhauled in his sprint debut, he kept on going and won by seven lengths when he stretched out to a mile at Santa Anita. Of course, speed is never a bad thing to have in a five-horse field. And, he keeps jockey Juan Hernandez, who also rode Madaket Road last out. However, he’ll now have to deal with Citizen Bull inside him, as well as a pair of speed horses outside him, so the waters get deeper at a short price.
4. Clock Tower: One of two non-Baffert horses in the field, Clock Tower showed lots of pace last year: five starts at two, and he led early in every single one of them. However, three of those starts—including both of his wins—came on the lawn. He did hit the board in both of his dirt tries, and showed sharp early speed in both of those, meaning he should be on the engine early and giving the Bafferts inside him a challenge. But, whether he actually sees things out on the main is questionable. His pedigree supports it, but his race performance raises questions.
5. Valentines Candy: With nine starts, he is the most experienced horse in the field. However, class is a major question: most of those starts came in maiden claimers, he didn’t graduate until eighth asking in a sprint at Los Alamitos, and then he was well beaten in the King Glorious against California-breds while there last out. He may tussle with the pace early, but between the class questions and the low speed figures, this spot seems like an uphill battle.

Robert B. Lewis Past Winners Past Performances

The Robert B. Lewis has been the Bob Baffert show in recent years. Baffert not only has 12 wins in the race, but has won it eight of the last 10 years, including each of the last six years.

All of Baffert’s recent winners come out of graded-stakes efforts in California. Five of Baffert’s last eight winners of the Robert B. Lewis come out of the Los Alamitos Futurity, and all finished in the exacta. Dortmund (2015), Mor Spirit (2016), and Thousand Words (2020) won the race, while Mucho Gusto (2019) and Messier (2022) ran second. Nysos (2024) made his first start since winning the Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mark, while both Medina Spirit (2021) and Newgate (2023) came out of second-place finishes in the Sham (G3), a race no longer on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Two winners of this race in the last 10 years were not trained by Bob Baffert, and both of them came out of maiden special weight wins, coincidentally at third asking in both cases. Royal Mo (2017) did so for John Shirreffs, and Lombo (2018) for Michael Pender.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes Card

The Robert B. Lewis is part of a ten-race Santa Anita card on Saturday that features four graded-stakes races. Other graded events on the card include the $200,000 Santa Monica (G2) for older dirt sprint fillies and mares, the $100,000 Megahertz for older female turf milers, and the Thunder Road (G3) for older turf milers.

It is also a major day of racing nationwide, with Road to the Kentucky Derby races at Gulfstream and Aqueduct as well as at Santa Anita. You can watch and wager on all the action with FanDuel TV, and make sure to place your bets at FanDuel!

Santa Anita Park History

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 2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes happens on Saturday, February 1. Post is scheduled for 1:28 p.m. PST, and it is the fourth of ten races on the card.

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 12 times, stretching back to its days as the Santa Catalina Stakes. However, most of his success has been recent: he has won the last six editions of the race. Three of the five runners for 2025 are in his barn, and they are the three shortest prices on the morning line: Citizen Bull, Rodriguez, and Madaket Road.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2025 Robert B. Lewis?

A: Citizen Bull, who makes his first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and earning the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite. Rodriguez is just behind him at 7-5 on the morning line, though it would not be surprising to see Citizen Bull an odds-on choice come post time.

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. Two riders in the 2025 edition have won the race once before. Frankie Dettori (Madaket Road) won in 2023 with Newgate, and Martin Garcia (Citizen Bull) won in 2015 with Dortmund.

Q: Who won the 2024 Robert B. Lewis Stakes?

A: Nysos won the 2024 Robert B. Lewis for trainer Bob Baffert and rider Frankie Dettori, who reunite in 2025 with Madaket Road. Baffert also sends out Citizen Bull under Martin Garcia and Rodriguez with Juan Hernandez.

Looking for more horse racing betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!