Plutarch edged out Intrepido by three-quarters of a length to win the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, securing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his eighth consecutive victory in the race for 3-year-olds. Ridden by Florent Geroux, the colt completed the one-mile distance in 1:37.02 for his first stakes win on dirt. The result ties Plutarch with Intrepido for third on the Kentucky Derby qualifying leaderboard with 23 points each.
The Robert Lewis Stakes, a key prep race for the Kentucky Derby, unfolded at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, where Plutarch, a 4-1 shot trained by Bob Baffert, demonstrated resilience in a competitive field. Starting alertly under jockey Florent Geroux, Plutarch stayed close to the pacesetting Intrepido, trained by Jeff Mullins, through the backstretch and turns. In the stretch, Plutarch pulled ahead but had to fend off a late challenge from Intrepido along the rail before drawing clear for the victory.
"I felt he broke very alertly for me and put me in a great spot," Geroux said. "When I asked him to move along in the lane, he responded really well. But he waited for the horse on the inside a little bit. As soon as he came by me, my horse gave me another gear."
This marked Plutarch's first win on dirt and his stakes debut success, improving his record to two wins in six starts with earnings exceeding $190,000. Owned by the Coolmore partnership of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, the Into Mischief colt previously broke his maiden on turf at Del Mar on November 30 and finished third to Intrepido in last year's American Pharoah Stakes.
Baffert, who now has 14 overall wins in the Robert Lewis, compared Plutarch to his 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. "He keeps getting better every week," Baffert said. "I don’t think distance will be a problem with him. This is very exciting. He’s legit."
Intrepido, returning from a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, settled for second, while Secured Freedom took third in his two-turn debut under Tim Yakteen. Baffert's 6-5 favorite Desert Gate finished fourth after a poor start from the inside post, with stablemate Cherokee Nation fifth. "Desert Gate missed the break, and I knew the one-hole would hurt us," Baffert noted. "I knew we were in trouble then because he is so one-dimensional."
Mullins praised Intrepido's effort off a layoff: "To be off that long, I'm happy with his race."
Plutarch's win earns him 20 qualifying points, tying him with Intrepido at 23 for the May 2 Kentucky Derby field. Geroux, newly based at Santa Anita, sees Derby potential: "To have the opportunity to ride for [Baffert] is a big honor."
