The $500,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1), the last California Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race, is set for Saturday and offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.
First run in 1935, the race has long served as a key West Coast steppingstone to the Triple Crown. A total of 11 horses have won both the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby – Hill Gail (1952), Determine (1954), Swaps (1955), Lucky Debonair (1965), Majestic Prince (1969), Affirmed (1978), Winning Colors (1988), Sunday Silence (1989), I’ll Have Another (2012), California Chrome (2014) and Justify (2018). Overall, 19 Kentucky Derby winners came out of the Santa Anita Derby.
On Saturday, 7 3-year-olds will contest the 1 1/8-mile race with the winner claiming a berth in the Run for the Roses and perhaps become the 12th horse to complete the feat.
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert sends out a pair, including 2-1 morning-favorite and unbeaten Potente. The son of Into Mischief, who will have Juan Hernandez back aboard, broke his maiden sprinting 6 furlongs at Santa Anita in January and then captured the San Felipe Stakes (G2) by a head over Robusta on March 7 at 8 ½ furlongs, showing tactical versatility as a stalker who can sit just off the pace and press early.
The $2.4 million Fasig-Tipton yearling has improved with distance, and the Baffert/Hernandez tandem is firing on all cylinders so expect him to stalk a moderate pace and prove tough to beat at 1 1/8 miles.
It also may be important to note that Baffert is also the race’s leading trainer with nine winners to his credit.
Cherokee Nation (5-2), also trained by Baffert, shows tremendous upside despite taking six starts to break his maiden. He finished fifth in both the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) before dominating a 1-mile maiden special weight to graduate after pressing quick before pulling away to score by 10 lengths. This $1.15 million Keeneland yearling owns the highest speed figure in the field. He could explode if the pace he’s expected to sit behind stays honest. Florent Geroux will ride.
So Happy (7-2) brings the field’s clearest early speed as a natural front-runner. The Mark Glatt-trained son of Runhappy won the San Vicente Stakes (G3) sprinting 7 furlongs in January after a debut victory at Del Mar. He then finished a solid third in the San Felipe while pressing the pace through fast early fractions. He may try to clear from post 5 and dictate terms under Hall of Famer Mike Smith, though stamina at 1 1/8 miles is his biggest question mark. His tactical speed makes him dangerous if fractions are moderate.
Intrepido (7-2), the Jeff Mullins-trained son of Maximus Mischief, drew post 7 and carriers legitimate Grade 1 experience as the winner of last year’s American Pharoah Stakes (G1), though he finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) after a slow start. He returned off a layoff to duel on the lead and finish a close second in the Robert B. Lewis and makes his second start of 2026 here. A presser who likes to be forwardly placed, the ridgling can step forward if he gets into his preferred position up close early from the far outside. Mullins is a three-time winner of the Santa Anita Derby.
Robusta (8-1) nearly pulled off a huge upset in the San Felipe after pressing the pace, taking the lead in deep stretch and yielding a head to Potente at 67-1. A Calumet homebred by Accelerate trained by Doug O’Neill, he previously dueled early in the Robert B. Lewis before finishing sixth and has shown stalker/closer traits. Leading rider Emisael Jaramillo stays aboard, and this one is a live contender at a square price if he sustains his finish.
Vitruvian Man (15-1), also from O’Neill’s barn, makes his 3-year-old debut having not started since December. He has consistently shown slower early fractions, pointing to a deep-closing style that will require a pace meltdown to factor in this graded company. He’s been training well for the past three months, but he faces a significant class and fitness jump into Grade 1 company. Expect him to be a late-running longshot at best.
Start the Ride (30-1) is the clear outsider but not without a minor angle. He captured the restricted California Chrome Cal Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles in January before a disappointing sixth in the San Felipe after a bad break. This will be his third start off the layoff, a spot where some horses peak, yet the form reversal he’d need is sizable. The Dan Blacker trainee’s running style is less defined but leans mid-pack and he figures to be more of a closer in a race projected for moderate early fractions.
Post time is 7:16 p.m. ET.
1 Cherokee Nation (Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert), 5-2
2 Potente (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert), 2-1
3 Vitruvian Man (Antonio Fresu, Doug O’Neill), 15-1
4 Robusta (Emisael Jaramillo, Doug O’Neill), 8-1
5 So Happy (Mike Smith), Mark Glatt), 7-2
6 Start the Ride (Armando Ayuso, Dan Blacker), 30-1
7 Intrepido (Hector Barrios, Jeff Mullins), 7-2
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
