Expert Pick of the Week: 2026 San Felipe Stakes

Mar 04, 2026

Brant shown winning last summer's Del Mar Futurity (G1) (Photo by Benoit Photo)

A fine field of seven three-year-olds with an eye on the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in May will compete in the $200,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita on Saturday. The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series tilt will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt and will reward the top five finishers across the wire with Derby qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis.

Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race on nine previous occasions and will saddle a pair of fine prospects, led by Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Brant. A son of the mighty Gun Runner, Brant debuted on July 26 at Del Mar in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint, and the horse drove clear in the stretch to post a classy, 5 1/4-length victory at odds of 4-5. Following his Del Mar Futurity win, the colt set the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) before eventually staying on to be a nice third behind champion Ted Noffey.

.@BeemieAwards looks ahead to Santa Anita's Saturday card. 🏇

Then, he welcomes in Tampa Bay Downs Stakes Coordinator @jacksonzehr4 to talk about recruiting horses to races, the Tampa Bay Derby, and more! 🎙️

🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/BNSrlOIgEN pic.twitter.com/tYTsAHVmYO

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 4, 2026

Brant was given some time off before picking up morning workouts on Jan. 22, and the $3 million two-year-old purchase has recorded six swift drills on the Santa Anita surface leading up to his seasonal debut. The gray horse has plenty of speed from the gate, but he has won from off the early tempo as well, and the prime Triple Crown contender figures to be involved from the opening bell on Saturday. Florent Geroux picks up the mount atop the formidable three-year-old.

Two horses figure to pose the biggest challenges to the presumptive favorite, led by San Vicente (G2) winner So Happy. Trained by Mark Glatt, the son of champion Runhappy, has displayed a measure of speed from the gate combined with a strong closing kick in both career runs to date. The horse has been working especially fast as of late and will have regular rider Mike Smith on board.

The Tim Yakteen-trained Secured Freedom looked like a star in his maiden win on the track here two races back and was then a closing third in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) in his latest performance. The Virginia-bred son of Practical Joke will benefit from having a route race on the oval and will improve in this spot with Kaz Kimura in the saddle.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #4 Brant on top of #3 Secured Freedom and #6 So Happy in the 2026 San Felipe Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.