Santa Anita Park - $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3)
The Robert B. Lewis will kick off the stakes action at Santa Anita on Saturday as Dortmund attempts to keep his record perfect. The Baffert trainee broke his maiden by 4 3/4 lengths at Santa Anita, shipped to Churchill Downs to take an optional claimer by 7 3/4 lengths just 27 days later, and showed back up in California to triumph in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) by a head last out on December 20.
Dortmund will keep Garcia in the saddle as he takes on Los Alamitos Futurity runner-up Firing Line (Line of David), who just lost the bob on the wire, and Rock Shandy (Lemon Drop Kid), placed in both the Sham S. (G3) and Cecil B. DeMille S. (G3) in his past pair of starts.
Sandwiched between the Lewis and San Antonio is the $200,000 San Marcos S. (G2), which drew nine to go 1 1/4 miles over Santa Anita's turf. Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt) and Patrioticandproud (Proud Citizen) were one-two, respectively, in both the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) and San Gabriel S. (G2) in their most recent races and face off yet again in the San Marcos.
Majestic Harbor (Rockport Harbor) will have to show improvement off his past quartet of starts if he hopes to factor in the San Marcos. The seven-year-old bay scored in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita S. (G1) last June by 6 1/4 lengths, but has been well-beaten in his last four.