(Trainer Bob Baffert / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Santa Anita Media Team / Victor Ryan:

• GIII LEWIS: CHAMPION CITIZEN BULL LEADS BAFFERT STABLEMATES • WORKS: JOURNALISM DRILLS, UNBEATEN NYSOS BACK ON TAB • $1 COAST-TO-COAST WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFERED ON FRIDAYS • 9-RACE CARD FRIDAY OPENS RACE WEEK; FIRST POST AT 12:30 P.M.

GIII LEWIS: CHAMPION CITIZEN BULL LEADS BAFFERT STABLEMATES

The next stop on the road to the GI Santa Anita Derby and potentially the Kentucky Derby is Saturday’s Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes going a mile at Santa Anita.

Featuring the seasonal debut of 2-year-old champion Citizen Bull, the Lewis will be aired live on CNBC and Peacock as part of the 1/ST Racing Tour presented by My Racehorse. The two-hour broadcast, which starts at 1 p.m. PT, will feature eight live races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park including the GIII Holy Bull for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream. Post time for the Lewis is approximately 1:30 p.m.

Citizen Bull is installed as the 6-5 program favorite in the Lewis. Trained by Bob Baffert, the two-time Grade I winner by Into Mischief hasn’t started since a front-running win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

“He’s grown and filled out,” Baffert said of Citizen Bull. “He’s a big, strong colt who carries a lot of flesh. It’s time for him to start racing. Time to get him on the Derby trail and get after it.”

Citizen Bull will be ridden by Martin Garcia, who was aboard for his wins in both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and previously the Grade I American Pharoah in October at Santa Anita. Citizen Bull will be joined in the starting gate by stabelmates Rodriguez (7-5) and Madaket Road (5-2). Rodriguez, by Authentic, rolled to a seven-length maiden victory when stretched out to a mile for his second start on Jan. 4.

“He’s a horse that reminds me of Authentic” Baffert said. “He was a light, immature horse that’s started to develop. I like him a lot.”

In 2020, Authentic won the Kentucky Derby for Baffert and was named Horse of the Year. Rodriguez will break from post three under Juan Hernandez.

Madaket Road drew the rail for what will be his two-turn debut. By Quality Road, Madaket Road broke his maiden in his second start when going six furlongs on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. “I would have loved to run him in a two-turn allowance, but I didn’t want to ship him,” Baffert said. “Basically, I just want to get races into these horses. It’s time to start running them.” Madaket Road will be ridden by Frankie Dettori.

The Lewis is one of four stakes Saturday at Santa Anita. It joins the GII Santa Monica for fillies and mares going seven furlongs, the GIII Thunder Road for older horses at a mile on turf and the GIII Megahertz for older fillies and mares going a mile on turf.

The field for the Lewis in post position order: Madaket Road, Frankie Dettori (5-2); Citizen Bull, Martin Garcia (6-5); Rodriguez, Juan Hernandez (7-5); Clock Tower, Gerardo Corrales (10-1); Valentines Candy, Welfin Orantes (30-1).

WORKS: JOURNALISM DRILLS, UNBEATEN NYSOS BACK ON TAB

Kentucky Derby prospect Journalism worked for the second straight week after getting sick and unbeaten Nysos, sidelined since winning last year’s GIII Robert B. Lewis in February, returned to the tab for trainer Bob Baffert Thursday at Santa Anita.

Journalism worked four furlongs in 48.80 seconds for trainer Michael McCarthy. The Curlin colt most recently won the GIII Los Alamitos Futurity going 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 14, after which he fell ill. Journalism is a candidate to return in the GII San Felipe going 1 1/16 miles on March 1.

Nysos drilled four furlongs in 48.80 seconds as well. It was his first work since Oct. 10.
Nysos won his first three starts beginning in October 2023 before being sidelined. After winning his debut at Santa Anita, the Nyquist colt returned to win the GIII Bob Hope in November 2023 at Del Mar and then scored in the Lewis last February. Nysos has banked $216,600 for owner Baoma Corp.

Continuing on the comeback trail for Baffert was Speed Boat Beach. Sidelined since winning the GI Malibu in December 2023, Speed Boat Beach worked four furlongs in 48.0 seconds. It was the third work this month for the 5-year-old horse by Bayern. Owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach is 7: 4-1-0 with $498,000 in earnings.

$1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFERED ON FRIDAYS

The popular Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 featuring races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, will be offered on Fridays for the remainder of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet and subsequent Hollywood Meet.

With its player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate, the $1 Coast-to-Coast has proven a popular wager among handicappers. It tasks bettors with selecting the winners in five designated races from Gulfstream Park in South Florida and Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

If there are no tickets with all five winners in a sequence, the pool then carries over to the next Coast-to-Coast offering. There are no consolation payouts. Also noteworthy, the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 is offered exclusively to retail customers.

In addition to Fridays, the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 will continue to be offered every Saturday and Sunday during Santa Anita’s live meets.

On Saturdays, horseplayers can access free Coast-to-Coast past performance from Daily Racing Form. They are available on the web at promos.drf.com/coast-to-coast-pick5.

Friday’s Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:12 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park. The sequence also includes the ninth race from Gulfstream and the fifth, sixth and seventh race from Santa Anita. Santa Anita has a nine-race program Friday starting at 12:30 p.m. PT and Gulfstream hosts a nine-race card starting at 9:20 a.m. PT.

FINISH LINES: This week’s racing action at Santa Anita kicks off on Friday with a nine-race card starting at 12:30 p.m. PT…Trainer Jose Hernandez Jr. won his first ever race at Santa Anita Sunday. In the fourth,, Hernandez scored with Lisa Largo, ridden by Efrain Hernandez, in a $20,000 maiden-claimer going five furlongs. She paid $27.80 for the upset…Sunday’s feature is the Grade III Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile. It goes as the third race at approximately 1 p.m. PT. In the Las Virgenes, Grade I winner Tenma is the 2-5 morning line favorite for trainer Bob Baffert…Horseplayer James Leal will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Friday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:20 a.m. PT…Every Friday during the Classic Meet, on-track fans receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas.