G2 San Felipe Offers 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby Qualifying Points

** NOTE ** The G2 San Felipe & Three Other Graded Stakes Shifted From Saturday To Sunday Due To Heavy Rain In Forecast

Held annualy in March, the San Felipe Stakes primarily serves as the final local prep for the Santa Anita Derby (G1), but the 1 1/16-mile is also a Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race offering 50 qualification points to the winner - enough to virtually guarantee a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate.

Nysos Heads the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes

Considered by many to be America's most talented three-year-old, Bob Baffert's undefeated Nysos heads a field of five going a mile and one sixteenth in the rescheduled Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

With Nysos and all other Baffert trainees ineligible to run in this year's Kentucky Derby, Nysos will likely eye the Grade I Preakness Stakes next on May 18 with a stop in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 6 a possibility as well.

A 10 ½ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs here on Oct. 21, Nysos came back to take Del Mar's Grade III Bob Hope at seven panels by 8 ¾ lengths Nov. 19. Off at 1-10 versus six rivals going a flat mile in the Grade III Robert B. Lewis Feb. 3, Nysos rated kindly in his first two-turn assignment and destroyed the competition, winning by 7 ½ lengths and earning a tremendous 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

One of three Baffert entrants, Nysos, who is by 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z, has won his three starts by a combined 26 ¾ lengths and will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Flavien Prat.

A $550,000 Ocala Sales 2-year-old in Training Sale purchase in April, 2023, Nysos is owned by Baoma Corp and will attempt to give Baffert his record ninth score in one of America's most important Derby preps.

Second by 7 ½ lengths to Nysos in the Lewis, Baffert's Wine Me Up will likely be the second choice in the San Felipe wagering. Owned by longtime clients Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Wine Me Up, a first-out maiden winner at six furlongs Sept. 2, was subsequently second behind talented stablemate Muth in the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles here on Oct. 7.

Well beaten at 22-1 in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 3, he was then fourth at 9-5 in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity two starts back on Dec. 16.

With Juan Hernandez up for the third consecutive time on Sunday, Wine Me Up, a $300,000 Ocala Sales 2-year-old, has good natural speed and with a career-best 92 Beyer in-hand from his second place run in the Lewis, will hope to turn the tables in what will be his fifth consecutive two turn assignment.

A one mile gate to wire maiden winner in his third start on Jan. 1, Baffert's Imagination, a hard-fought second at the same distance in a first condition allowance Feb. 11, has three seconds and the maiden win from four starts and could likely be on the early lead Sunday as Frankie Dettori tries his hand for the first time.

A $1,050,000 Keeneland September Yearling, Imagination is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Racing, LLC, et al, Imagination earned an 89 Beyer in his most recent start and appears on the improve.

Feb 25 - A quartet of 3-year-olds nominated to next Saturday's GII San Felipe and five older horses eyeing the GI Santa Anita Handicap on the same day all registered workouts Sunday at Santa Anita Park. Of the combined nine nominees to work, five are trained by Bob Baffert. The 3-year-olds on the tab for Baffert were Nysos, Maymun and Cornell.

Unbeaten Nysos, most recently a 7 1/2-length winner of the GIII Robert B. Lewis here Feb. 3, drilled five furlongs in 1:00.20. Maymun, who improved to 2-for-2 with a neck victory over stablemate Imagination in a one-mile allowance here Feb. 11, worked six furlongs in 1:13.00. Cornell, a one-mile maiden winner here Jan. 28, worked four furlongs in 49.20 seconds.

Baffert also has nominated to the San Felipe Imagination, Wine Me Up, Wynstock, Coach Prime and Muth.

Also working towards a potential San Felipe start was Tapalo for trainer John Sadler. Most recently second in the 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 10 at Golden Gate, the Tapiture ridgling went four furlongs in 48.0 seconds. Working Sunday towards potential starts in the 1 ¼-mile Big Cap were Newgate and Mr Fisk for Baffert, Subsanador for Sadler, Newgrange for trainer Phil D'Amato and Mixto for Doug O'Neill.

Newgate, most recently second to Newgrange in last month's GII San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles, worked a bullet when completing six furlongs in 1:12.00. Newgrange, who won his second straight graded stakes and fourth overall in the San Pasqual, also fired a bullet when going five furlongs in 59.00 seconds.

Mixto was third in the San Pasqual behind Newgrange and Newgate. The 4-year-old Good Magic colt went five furlongs in 1:00.40.

Mr Fisk, who was fifth in the San Pasqual, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20. Subsanador, who was the beaten favorite in the Dec. 26 GII San Pasqual in his U.S. bow Dec. 26, had a stout seven-furlong work completed in 1:25.80.

In addition to the Big Cap and San Felipe, this Saturday's blockbuster card also features the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile and GII Buena Vista for older fillies and mares. Both are at a mile on turf. The fields for Saturday's card will be drawn on Wednesday.

Grade 2 SAN FELIPE, GI SANTA ANITA HANDICAP ON TAP

Feb 24 - Santa Anita is set to host four graded stakes next Saturday including the 87th running of the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GII San Felipe, a significant prep for both the GI Santa Anita Derby on April 6 and Kentucky Derby a month later.

In addition to the Big Cap and San Felipe, next Saturday's card will also include the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile and GII Buena Vista Stakes for older fillies and mares. Both are at a mile on turf. Nominations for all four graded stakes were released Friday.

The historic 1 ¼-mile Santa Anita Handicap, which was first run in 1935, attracted 12 nominees including the top three finishers in last month's GII San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles. Newgrange, trained by Phil D'Amato, won the San Pasqual in front-running fashion by a length over Newgate, who was making his second start off an 11-month layoff for trainer Bob Baffert. A half-length back of Newgate in third was Mixto for trainer Doug O'Neill.

According to the Santa Anita racing office, Newgrange, Newgate and Mixto are all expected in the Big Cap starting gate. Baffert is also possible to run GIII winner Reincarnate and Mr Fisk, who was fifth in the San Pasqual.

Other locals targeting the Big Cap are long-winded Salesman for trainer Richard Mandella, who has been off since winning the 1 5/8-mile GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance here Nov. 4, and Subsanador for trainer John Sadler.

The Big Cap is also likely to include multiple Eastern-based contenders. Trainer Brad Cox is slated to ship Highland Falls, a lightly raced 4-year-old Curlin colt who exits a second-level allowance win at Fair Grounds going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 13. Also, Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.is expected to send either O'Connor or Skippylongstocking, who both exit the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27. O'Connor was fifth in the Pegasus while Skippylongstocking was pulled up and did not finish.

As for the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, 15 3-year-olds were nominated. Probables include Wynstock, Wine Me Up and Imagination for Baffert; maiden McVay for trainer John Shirreffs and Scatify, most recently third in the GIII Robert B. Lewis in just his second start for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. Also listed as "possible" by the racing office is Tapalo, who most recently second in the Feb. 10 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields for trainer John Sadler.

Next Saturday's blockbuster card will be drawn on Wednesday, Feb 28.

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