Horse racing: Santa Anita race is a test of Intrepido’s Derby cred

ARCADIA — Intrepido’s upset win in a big race at Santa Anita in October made him one of the feel-good stories of the Breeders’ Cup prep season last fall.

How the 3-year-old performs in his season debut at Santa Anita on Saturday could decide if he’s any kind of story in the Kentucky Derby prep season this spring.

The $100,000, Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes, with seven 3-year-olds trying to take a 1-mile step toward the April 4 Santa Anita Derby and May 2 Kentucky Derby, is principally a rematch of Intrepido’s victory at 8-1 odds over Desert Gate and Plutarch in the American Pharoah Stakes on Oct. 4.

Intrepido, ridden by Hector Berrios and trained by Jeff Mullins for elated owners Michele Arthur and Ruben Islas of San Diego, went on to run fifth at 5-1 after a slow start from post 1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Oct. 31, far behind Ted Noffey, Mr. A.P., Brant and Litmus Test.

A win in Santa Anita’s eighth race Saturday (about 4 p.m.) would bring Kentucky Derby qualifying points and put Intrepido back in the conversation about top Derby contenders.

Wednesday morning at his Santa Anita barn, Mullins said he’s excited to get Intrepido back on the Derby trail but “a little nervous” only because it’s the first start in 99 days for the ridgling by Maximus Mischief (himself by Into Mischief) out of Overly Indulgent (Pleasantly Perfect).

Intrepido has been schooled in the starting gate after Mullins said he “got squirmy” before the Breeders’ Cup race, and the trainer said the horse has matured.

“It’s just kind of a throwout race,” Mullins said of the Juvenile. “We gave him plenty of time to get over that race, and he’s doing really good. Hopefully he gets away from (the starting gate) good and gets a good pace to run at.

“We’re just hoping to see him show up as good as or maybe a little better than he was before the Breeders’ Cup.”

Pace could be an issue for Intrepido. In the American Pharoah, Intrepido was able to surge dramatically in the final yards to a three-quarter-length victory in part because odds-on favorite Desert Gate tired after a front-running duel with 9-5 Kristofferson. But in the Robert B. Lewis, Desert Gate may have the lead to himself, one reason he’s 6-5 on the morning line, ahead of Intrepido at 7-2.

Here’s the lineup, in post-position order. The first three horses are trained by Bob Baffert, who has won the past seven runnings of the Lewis, all with tote-board favorites.

1. Desert Gate (Juan Hernandez riding); 2. Plutarch (Florent Geroux), 4-1; 3. Cherokee Nation (Antonio Fresu), 5-1; 4. Intrepido; 5. Briggs Armypower (Tyler Baze), 30-1; 6. Robusta (Emisael Jaramillo), 15-1; 7. Secured Freedom (Kazushi Kimura), 6-1.

MORE AT SANTA ANITA

Two Breeders’ Cup winners make their 2026 debuts this weekend at Santa Anita.

Splendora (Hernandez riding), the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner at nearly 3-1 odds for Baffert at Del Mar last Nov. 1, faces Formula Rossa (Mike Smith) and five others in the D. Wayne Lukas Stakes on Saturday. The Grade II, 7-furlong race formerly known as the Santa Monica has been renamed for Lukas, the Hall of Fame trainer who died last June.

Super Corredora (Berrios, 3-2 odds), the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner at 8-1 for John Sadler on Oct. 31, faces a rematch with second-place Explora (Hernandez, 3-5) and fourth-place Meaning (Flavien Prat) in the four-horse Las Virgenes. The 1-mile race came up strong after being stripped of its graded status this year.

JOCKEY CHANGES

It’s a tumultuous time for the Santa Anita jockey colony, with Kimura pulling into a tie with perennial leader Juan Hernandez atop the standings, Umberto Rispoli out indefinitely with leg fractures, Antonio Fresu returning Saturday from a foot injury, Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza winning races in his return from back east, Italy’s Mirco Demuro doing well in his first full year competing in the United Stakes, and, not least, Florent Geroux in from Louisiana with a chance to make an impact.

The past 10 stakes at Santa Anita have been won by nine different jockeys, with Kimura the only repeater.

Berrios isn’t one of the nine recent stakes winners but could join that list this weekend. In addition to Intrepido and Super Corredora, he rides 5-1 Me and Molly McGee in the Lukas, 2-1 El Potente in the Thunder Road and 4-1 Mohaven in the Sweet Life on Saturday, and Virat in the Clockers’ Corner on Sunday.

“It’s a big weekend for us,” said Michael Burns, Berrios’ agent.

HEATING UP

Delayed six days by cold weather, 3-year-olds seek Derby points Friday in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest Stakes in Arkansas and the 1 1/8-mile Withers in New York.

Baffert is scratching Litmus Test from the Southwest, saying the Los Alamitos Futurity winner will wait for the March 7 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Baffert’s Buetane (Joel Rosario) tries a distance after running second to Ted Noffey and So Happy around one turn. H. Ray Ashford-trained D’Code (Luis Saez riding) is the new morning-line favorite after sprinting to victory in his debut at Oaklawn with a 99 Beyer speed figure, highest by a Derby hopeful.

Two Chad Brown-trained colts coming off maiden wins are favored in the seven-horse Withers, Ottinho (Prat) at 9-5 and Schoolyardsuperman (Manny Franco) at 2-1.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s 3-year-old rankings this week make Nearly the new No. 1 after his Holy Bull Stakes victory in Florida on Saturday and his Todd Pletcher stablemate Ted Noffey’s injury.

WEEK OFF AT LOS AL

Los Alamitos has no racing this Saturday and Sunday – and no morning training Thursday through Monday – as the maintenance crew conducts a “comprehensive refresh” of the running surface. Quarter-horse and thoroughbred racing will resume Saturday night, Feb. 14, at the Orange County track.

Los Alamitos is under pressure from the California Horse Racing Board to reduce fatal injuries. Nineteen horses died in racing and training in 2025 at Los Al, marking a third consecutive annual increase there, while deaths declined at Santa Anita and Del Mar.

INTO THE SUNSET

Frankie Dettori, who retired at age 55 after winning the Brazilian 2000 Guineas aboard Bet You Can on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, found success and popularity virtually everywhere he rode and California is no exception.

The native of Milan, Italy, was based for the longest time in Britain, earning statues and murals at racecourses there. But from the 1980s, when the teenager rode winners at Hollywood Park, to the 2020s, when he won the 2024 Santa Anita Handicap with Newgate and won six straight races on Santa Anita Derby day, Dettori always expressed appreciation for the settings and history of California racing.

“It’s stunning,” Dettori said as he looked up at the Santa Anita grandstand in the spring of ’24. “I’m so lucky to be able to ride (here).”

Follow horse racing correspondent Kevin Modesti at X.com/KevinModesti.

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

(Through Sunday)

Jockeys / Wins

Kazushi Kimura / 19

Juan Hernandez / 19

Umberto Rispoli / 15

Emisael Jaramillo / 14

Hector Berrios / 11

Edwin Maldonado / 10

Armando Ayuso / 10

Trainers / Wins

Doug O’Neill / 15

Bob Baffert / 12

George Papaprodromou / 11

Mark Glatt / 10

Jeff Mullins / 8

Phil D’Amato / 8

Michael McCarthy / 8

UPCOMING STAKES

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $200,000, Grade II D. Wayne Lukas Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 7 furlongs

• $100,000, Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile

• $100,000, Grade III Thunder Road Stakes, 4 and up, 1 mile on turf

• $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, about 6½ furlongs on turf

Sunday

• $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile

• $100,000 Clockers’ Corner Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs on turf