Saturday's $200,000 San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita Park has drawn a small but talented five-horse field. Many bettors will expect Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to win the seven-furlong dirt dash for the 15th time, but I'm predicting a mild upset.
Baffert has entered two horses in search of his sixth San Vicente win in the last seven years. #1 Greenwich Village, a debut winner at Los Alamitos, is a promising prospect, but Baffert's top-ranked contender is #3 Buetane.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, January 10, 2026, Race 5Entries: San Vicente S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Greenwich Village (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 120 Bob Baffert 5/1 2 2So Happy (KY) Mike E. Smith 120 Mark Glatt 3/1 3 3Buetane (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Bob Baffert 6/5 4 4Acknowledgemeplz (FL) Kazushi Kimura 120 Doug F. O'Neill 5/2 5 5Thirsty Rebel (CA) Abel Lezcano 122 Doug F. O'Neill 8/1
It's hard to knock anything Buetane has accomplished. He debuted on Aug. 3 in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar, in which he tracked the pace in second place before taking over to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths. Then he took on the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) and finished second behind Ted Noffey, the probable champion two-year-old male of 2025 after following up with triumphs in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
But it's worth noting Buetane finished 8 1/2 lengths behind Ted Noffey in the Hopeful, and the rest of the Hopeful form hasn't held up all that well. Curtain Call finished only a head behind Buetane in third place, but in his next start he finished sixth by 18 lengths in the Champagne (G1).
Also, Buetane has yet to run especially fast on the Beyer speed figure or Brisnet Speed rating scale. In fact, his career-best 83 Beyer is 10 points lower than the 93 posted by #4 Acknowledgemeplz in a fast maiden win at Santa Anita.
Acknowledgemeplz is a compelling upset threat. His two sprint performances have been promising. He debuted back on June 13 in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar, in which he carved out the pace before weakening to finish second. He was beaten only 2 1/4 lengths by Desert Gate, who has since won the Best Pal (G3) and finished second in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and American Pharoah (G1). Furthermore, Acknowledgemeplz pulled 5 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Proletariat, a next-out winner who has since finished third in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3) and Zuma Beach (G3).
After spending 4 1/2 months away from the races, Acknowledgemeplz returned to action in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita. This time, he led all the way and held off a late bid from Blacksmith to prevail by three-quarters of a length, earning the above-mentioned 93 Beyer. Blacksmith flattered the form by later finishing second by 1 1/4 lengths in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Speaking of the Los Alamitos Futurity, Acknowledgemeplz contested that 1 1/16-mile race, but failed to bring his A game. Nothing quite went his way. He missed a scheduled prep run in the Bob Hope S. after the race was canceled due to insufficient entries, and then he failed to show his customary early speed in the Los Alamitos Futurity, getting beaten to the lead by multiple rivals. He drifted out heading into the first turn, wound up racing wide in third place, and ultimately tired to finish fourth by 16 1/4 lengths.
I'm optimistic cutting back to seven furlongs will trigger a turnaround from Acknowledgemeplz. Adding blinkers should sharpen his early speed and help him return to pacesetting tactics. If Acknowledgemeplz rebounds to the form of his maiden win, he can hold off Buetane to spring a surprise in the San Vicente.
For third place, I'll side with #2 So Happy. The son of 2015 champion male sprinter Runhappy debuted on Nov. 22 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar. The early pace wasn't especially fast, but So Happy nevertheless rallied from fourth place to defeat Winston Ave (a first-time starter from Baffert's barn) by three-quarters of a length.
So Happy reached the finish line in a solid 1:16.09 and earned an 83 Beyer. He has upside for improvement while making his second start, and I believe he'll sit a favorable trip in fourth or fifth place before closing down the homestretch to nab a spot in the trifecta.
Selections
1st: Acknowledgemeplz
2nd: Buetane
3rd: So Happy
Now it's your turn! Who do you like in the San Vicente?
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