Santa Anita Handicap (Grade 1)
THE famous Santa Anita Handicap had a different type of result last weekend, when it produced a first Grade 1 win for his owners and trainer Richard Baltas after the five-year-old gelding British Isles won the 2026 edition of the historic race. It was also a first Grade 1 victory for jockey Diego Herrera.
But in reality, it was a poor renewal. Pegasus World Cup winner Skippylongstocking and Westwood were taken out and British Isles went off as the 7/1 fourth choice in the field of five. The older horses in the US really need last year’s three-year-old crop to return and take up the quality mantle.
Brad Cox’s Just A Touch went off favourite, but he had not even won a graded race.
Midnight Mammoth led the Bob Baffert-trained Getaway Car early with British Isles in third, where the gelding raced the first six furlongs in 1m 11.31secs.
British Isles, a son of Justify, got closer down the backstretch while three wide. The leaders pulled away into the turn, but he came back at them to lead.
Once British Isles got in front, he increased his margin throughout the straight, crossing the line four and a half lengths ahead of a closing Vodka Vodka and stopping the clock in 2m 05.17secs. Getaway Car held on for third. The winner ran the last two furlongs in a very slow 28.45 seconds.
British Isles was winning for the fourth time in 24 starts and is a Kentucky-bred who ran five times for Magnier/Smith/Tabor, while trained by Baffert, before being purchased by his current connections.
Beholder Mile
The other Grade 1 on the card, the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile saw the Bob Baffert five-year-old mare Splendora have little trouble in seeing off four rivals when the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Distaff Sprint winner made it five wins in a row after missing most of last season. Sent off at 1/10, she beat Bless The Broken by five and a half lengths under Juan Hernandez.
In the Grade 2 Frank E. Kilroe Mile, Final Boss surprised in beating the favourite El Potente.
The five-year-old entire, a son of American Pharoah, is trained by John Sadler and was another winner, one of four on the day, for Juan Hernandez.
The Kilroe Mile was the first graded win for Final Boss, who didn’t front-run this time and came off fast fractions to six furlongs set by Mi Bago in 1m 8.66secs (compare that to the Big Cap time) before coming inside runner-up El Potente in the stretch and beating him by a half-length.
“I think the last couple of times he was a little rank. Today, he broke good, but I left him alone. That was the key. He relaxed and finished really strong,” said Hernandez.
Baffert and Hernandez also won the fillies’s trial, the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes, with Forced Entry, a daughter of Charlatan.
“We’ve always been high on her. Juan rode a great race,” Baffert told FanDuel TV, as the filly picked up 50 qualifying points for Churchill Downs.
Last year’s champion two-year-old filly, Super Corredora completely missed the break and trailed several lengths behind the field early finishing only sixth of the seven.
THERE were two Derby Trials in the US over the weekend and Bob Baffert emerged with a contender from the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes over a mile and half a furlong.
Potente, an Into Mischief colt owned by Speedway Stables, got the verdict by a head under Juan Hernandez from Calumet Farm’s Robusta, trained by Doug O’Neill. However, the Baffert number one, favourite Brant could only finish fifth of the seven.
The winner, a Fasig-Tipton 2024 Saratoga Sale purchase for $2.4 million out of the Lane’s End consignment, stalked the pace down the backstretch and began to chase his rivals on the far turn and came through to head the second in the final furlongs.
Baffert was reported on BloodHorse as saying afterwards: “I was just a little disappointed in Brant. We’re moving forward with Potente. He’ll have another start before the Kentucky.” It was just the winner’s second start and his rider said:
“This horse has a lot of talent. He’s big, he’s strong and he showed up today.”
Tampa Bay
At Tampa Bay Downs, the Grade 3 Esmark Tampa Bay Derby, went to the Essential Quality colt The Puma.
Co-owner OGMA Investments, trainer Gustavo Delgado, and Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano were involved with 2023 Derby winner Mage and are on track for a return to Kentucky.
The colt beat favourites Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado and Magnier/Brant colt Canaletto by three-quarters of a length, earning sufficient qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.
Despite a wide trip that left him racing wide throughout, the son of Essential Quality came from last in the field of nine, outkicking his rivals in the best performance of his three-race career.
“Even before the first time he ran, I remember ‘This is a Derby horse’, I kept telling everyone,” assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. said on Fox Sports.