A little more than a week after he was formally announced as the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male of 2024, the Bob Baffert-trained Citizen Bull kicks off his 3-year-old campaign Feb. 1 against four rivals in the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.
Top-ranked on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 40 points, Citizen Bull can pick up more points Saturday in the Lewis, a qualifying race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby initially scheduled to distribute points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis. However, due to its short field, only 75% of the points will be proportionally awarded if all five 3-year-olds compete. A scratch would reduce that proportional allotment to 50%.
The Robert B. Lewis is part of Santa Anita's series for 3-year-olds that culminates with the April 5 Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Citizen Road's stablemates, last-out maiden winners Madaket Road and Rodriguez, each twice-raced colts with zero points, are more in need of climbing the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the Kentucky Derby (G1) draws beyond its 20-horse maximum field size.
Citizen Bull, Madaket Road, and Rodriguez are all owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Bob Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. The partnership focuses on buying well-bred young male horses and developing their best runners into top-class stakes winners and, in turn, valuable stallion prospects.
A winner of three of four starts last year, including the Oct. 5 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) and Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), Citizen Bull will again be ridden by Martin Garcia. The Into Mischief colt has remained on a steady work schedule this winter for Baffert, a 12-time Lewis winner, including every Lewis running since 2019.
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Rodriguez, while not nearly as accomplished as Citizen Bull, is similarly viewed by the public as a leading Kentucky Derby contender. Last month after the son of Authentic broke his maiden in fast time going a mile, he closed at 22-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby Future wager, not far behind Citizen Bull at 17-1. Another Baffert trainee not entered in the Lewis, San Vicente Stakes (G2) winner Barnes, was the 6-1 favorite among individual betting interests.
Madaket Road, a Quality Road colt who broke his maiden at six furlongs after a debut runner-up finish in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3), was 47-1 in the Derby Future Wager.
The remaining two entrants in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes are Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Clock Tower, a graded stakes winner on turf for trainer Wesley Ward, and Dale Brewer's longshot Valentines Candy, who appears outclassed after taking eight starts to break his maiden and then finishing eighth against California-breds in the Dec. 15 King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course.
Clock Tower, a son of Not This Time , ran third and second on dirt to begin his career before making his last three starts on grass.
The Robert B. Lewis is spotted early on Santa Anita's Saturday card as the fourth race at approximately 1:30 p.m. PT.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, February 1, 2025, Race 4Entries: Robert B. Lewis S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Madaket Road (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 120 Bob Baffert 5/2 2 2Citizen Bull (KY) Martin Garcia 124 Bob Baffert 6/5 3 3Rodriguez (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Bob Baffert 7/5 4 4Clock Tower (KY) Gerardo Corrales 124 Wesley A. Ward 10/1 5 5Valentines Candy (CA) Welfin R. Orantes 120 Jesus Mendoza 30/1
