ARCADIA, Calif. -- Mor Spirit won the $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by 1½ lengths Saturday at Santa Anita, reinforcing his status as the top 3-year-old in the barn of Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert.
Ridden by Gary Stevens, the horse ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.21 and paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite in the field of six.
Uncle Lino returned $5.20 and $2.80, while I Will Score was another half-length back in third and paid $2.60 to show.
It was Baffert's sixth career victory in the Grade III race named for his late client Lewis. Baffert won last year with Dortmund, although it was American Pharoah who ruled the trainer's stable. That colt went on to become the sport's first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
Dressed in Hermes was fourth, followed by the Baffert-trained Let's Meet in Rio, and Path of David. Laoban was scratched.
Stevens had Mor Spirit in third much of the way behind pacesetter I Will Score and Uncle Lino. Stevens went to a left-handed whip and took the lead in deep stretch before inching away on a 75-degree day.
"I had a big smile on my face going down the backside, and I'm sure Bob did too," Stevens said. "He's pretty special. As he faces better horses, he'll only get better."
Bred in Pennsylvania, Mor Spirit is a son of Eskendereya, who was the early favorite for the 2010 Kentucky Derby before a leg injury kept him out of the race. The horse is a ridgling, meaning he has an undescended testicle.
"He reminds me a lot of his sire," Baffert said. "He's a big, strong horse."
Mor Spirit earned 10 points to move into second in the standings, which determine the 20-horse starting field for the May 7 Kentucky Derby. The horse has 24 points and trails undefeated leader Nyquist, who will make his 3-year-old debut at Santa Anita on Feb. 15.
The victory, worth $90,000, increased Mor Spirit's career earnings to $378,400, with three victories in five starts for owner Michael Lund Petersen.
DONN HANDICAP
Mshawish rallies
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Mshawish caught and passed Valid to win the Donn Handicap by two lengths at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
Jockey John Velazquez had Mshawish three wide coming down the stretch, drew even with Valid near the midstretch before pulling away. Valid took the lead at the quarter-mile pole from Financial Modeling and wound up holding off Mexikoma by a half length to finish second.
Keen Ice, the 2-1 betting favorite, raced wide and was never a factor, finishing sixth.
Mshawish, who won the Grade I Gulfstream Park Handicap a year ago, completed the 1 1/8-mile race over a fast track in 1:47.89 and returned $11.20 to win. Mshawish is the 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro.
"I was pretty happy," Mshawish trainer Todd Pletcher said. "I loved the way he finished up at a mile and an eighth. That was one thing we were looking to prove that he would stay a mile and one eighth on the dirt, and I thought he ran the best race of his career, actually, and he's run some pretty good ones before that. He got a great trip. Johnny gave him a great ride, and he delivered a great performance."
Sports on 02/07/2016