2026 San Felipe Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

Key Takeaways:

• On March 7th, the 2026 San Felipe Stakes arrives with a pace-heavy field, which could set the Santa Anita race up for a tactical runner capable of stalking the early speed and finishing strongly.
• Several contenders are stretching out or making seasonal debuts, making race shape and trip efficiency especially important in this key Kentucky Derby prep.
• Secured Freedom offers the best value play, with a pace setup that should favor his tactical closing style in his second route attempt.
• So Happy brings an appealing stalking profile and undefeated record, and could take another step forward while stretching out around two turns.
• Brant owns the strongest class credentials in the field, but his short price and the presence of other speed make him a slightly vulnerable favorite.

The top Kentucky Derby prospects in the west line up Saturday, March 7, in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The 1 1/16-mile dirt race, the final local prep for the Santa Anita Derby (G1), offers a $200,000 purse and 50-25-15-10-5 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby. This virtually assures the winner a spot in the run for the roses, and other horses who run well can earn their way to Kentucky with another good prep or two.

The buzz horse is Barnes for trainer Bob Baffert. He will be making his seasonal debut and was last seen finishing third behind Ted Noffey after setting the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. So Happy comes in off a victory in the San Vicente (G2), and Secured Freedom was last seen finishing third in the Robert B. Lewis. Other horses in the field are newer faces trying to prove they belong in graded-stakes company, including last-out maiden winner Potente, also for Baffert.

The San Felipe has a long history of producing live Kentucky Derby prospects. Triple Crown winner Affirmed (1978) won this race on the way to that glory, as did Kentucky Derby winners Sunday Silence (1989), Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), California Chrome (2014), and Authentic (2020). Other important recent horses to win the race include Point Given (2001), Bolt d’Oro (2018), and Life Is Good (2021). Silver Charm, who finished second to Free House in 1997, turned the tables on his grey rival in Kentucky.

The San Felipe is part of one of the best cards of the winter meet at Santa Anita. It is one of four graded-stakes races on the day, which also features the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) for older dirt routers, the Beholder Mile (G1) for older dirt route fillies and mares, and the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G2) for older turf routers.

San Felipe Stakes 2026 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Track: Santa Anita Park
• Post Time: 3:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles
• Age/Sex: Three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

San Felipe Stakes Odds

This is the field for the San Felipe Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each contender.

San Felipe Stakes Prep Results

The seven horses in the San Felipe come out of six different races. The only one with multiple last-out runners is, fittingly, the Robert B. Lewis (G3) on February 7, the previous points race of the Santa Anita meet. Secured Freedom rallied for third; Robusta prompted the pace but weakened to sixth.

Two other runners come out of graded-stakes races. So Happy won the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2) and stretches out for his first points race. Brant was most recently seen finishing third behind Ted Noffey in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on October 31.

Start the Ride comes out of a maiden win in the Cal Cup Derby over the same course and distance as the San Felipe, and steps up beyond state-breds for this.

The other two entrants come out of non-stakes races. Potente broke his maiden on debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint at Santa Anita. Flashy Fritz was most recently second in a $25,000 claiming sprint for sophomores, another six-furlong dash over a local course.

San Felipe Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the San Felipe Stakes, organized by post position:

1. Flashy Fritz: Flashy Fritz makes his first start since being claimed for $25,000 to the barn of Dan Blacker, out of a second-place finish last out. He’s the second-stringer for the barn, and for good reason – though his nine starts make him the most experienced horse in the field, he was well-beaten in his only previous stakes try, which came against California-breds. His races are on the slow side compared to the rest of the field, too. Expect him to send from the fence – he tends to show speed, and he may just be the rabbit for stablemate Start the Ride.
2. Start the Ride: Though Start the Ride has only raced twice, both of those starts have been at two turns, meaning he has shown he can handle it. He was declared a non-starter on debut, after an assistant starter held him too long at the gate. Even when he got a fair start next out in the Cal Cup Derby, though, he was away slowly. He still got up to win, but faces a stiffer test here. Perhaps he gets his trip – between his stablemate inside him, as well as Brant, Potente, and Robusta outside, there is no shortage of front-end gas. And, given the way he got up after chasing a less feisty pace last out, he has potential if he takes another step forward third out.
3. Secured Freedom: In his first career two-turn start, last out in the Lewis, he took advantage of a contested pace to get up for third, though he never threatened Plutarch or Intrepido. Neither of those return here, though he’ll have to take a step forward to contend for the win. He could, though: Tim Yakteen trainees step up, often at a price, in their second career route races. He should also appreciate the pace scenario, with plenty of speed in front of him.
4. Brant: The class of the field, Brant won the Del Mar Futurity (G1) last year and makes his first sophomore start in this spot. Though he has yet to win at two turns – that was his first two-turn try – he ran creditably against the precocious Ted Noffey that day. His best will make him hard to beat, but on the other hand, he may not have the best of it, given the presence of other speed in the race. He set a pressured pace before being overtaken in the Breeders’ Cup – and there’s plenty of other speed here, too. He does get a rider change to Florent Geroux, though, and if Geroux can tap into the stalking gear that Brant showed in his 5 ½-furlong debut, that could get him home.
5. Potente: He didn’t debut until January, but the debut was solid: he did the dirty work on the pace and kept going to win by three-quarters of a length. He should be able to stretch out to two turns well, being by Into Mischief out of an Awesome Again daughter of Perfect Sting. The question is going to be the pace scenario – it’s a lot to ask for him to move up in just his second start with so much more front-end gas to contend with.
6. So Happy: Undefeated in two starts, he graduated on debut and then won the San Felipe in his next start with similar race shapes – settling just off the pace and making a run. That kind of trip could help him along once again. This is a class rise from the foes he faced last out, but he showed he could handle a rough start and stay interested, and even though he doesn’t have classic-distance bloodlines, he does have a chance to handle this middle-distance trip for Mark Glatt, whose trainees frequently run well when trying two turns for the first time.
7. Robusta: It has been feast or famine for him – a frontrunning win second-out, sandwiched between two off-the-board finishes. He won the day he got the lead; he didn’t win the two times he didn’t get a clear lead. He adds blinkers this time around for trainer Doug O’Neill, probably in hopes of him getting that lead again. He has a shot at a clean start from the outside in a fairly short field, though on the other hand, there’s a lot of front-end zest drawn inside of him, so not only is he going to have to go longer than ever, but he’ll have to go fast every step of the way.

San Felipe Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

San Felipe winners tend to come out of stakes races, though there is no single stakes race that provides a preponderance of the winners of the last race. (The last ten runnings of this date back to 2014, since the San Felipe was skipped in 2019 due to track issues at Santa Anita.) The now-discontinued Sham (G3) leads the charge with two: Authentic (2020) and Life Is Good (2021) both won the Sham.

Two of the six other winners who came from stakes came out of other three-year-old stakes: Forbidden Kingdom (2022) won the San Vicente (G2) and California Chrome (2014) won the state-bred California Cup Derby. Four others came out of juvenile races. Mastery (2017), Practical Move (2023), and Journalism (2025) were last seen winning the Los Alamitos Futurity, while Bolt d’Oro (2018) was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Only two of the last ten winners came out of non-stakes races. Danzing Candy (2016) came into the race out of an allowance win, and made his stakes debut in the San Felipe. Imagination (2024) also made his stakes debut in the San Felipe, and came out of a second-place finish in allowance company.

San Felipe Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 San Felipe Stakes:

1. Secured Freedom (8-1)

He has to move forward off of a belated third in the Robert B. Lewis last out on February 7, but he is likely to get a better setup this time around, with a lot of speed battling in front of him. Though he runs on well late, he is tactical enough to sit a few lengths back and not drop all the way to the back, a running style that suits Santa Anita well. And, though his Lewis was a bit of a disappointment, trainer Tim Yakteen’s horses can develop at a price in their second try at a route distance.

All of this adds up to a horse who should be able to prove he belongs against the big guys this time out, and do so at a price. A Tim Yakteen trainee had a breakout effort in this race three years ago with the fourth betting choice in the field – Practical Move, a horse who was with him all along and beat a group that included some well-regarded stablemates formerly trained by Bob Baffert, as well as Geaux Rocked Ride and Skinner.

2. So Happy (2-1)

Though the San Vicente is a sprint, and not a Kentucky Derby points race, it often places live contenders on the Kentucky Derby trail, and So Happy has the look of another one who can step up. His running style is appealing for this race if he can translate it from one turn to two: he has won both of his starts using a stalking style, and Mike Smith returns after riding him in both of those races.

The biggest question is the distance, as he has not gone past seven furlongs on race day yet. His pedigree does not read as a classic one; closer to the Kentucky Derby distance will likely be a bridge too far. But, there’s enough in the pedigree to suggest that a mile or 1 1/16 miles could be in his wheelhouse, being out of a Blame mare from a female family with some middle-distance class in alongside the sprint class.

3. Brant (1-1)

Brant makes his first start since he finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. If he comes back the same horse at age three as he was at two, he fits well; if he has moved forward, he could be tough. However, from a betting perspective, he’ll be a heavy enough favorite that you have to decide to either lean on him heavily or seek a price elsewhere. Both strategies are defensible, though you have to commit to one.

If Brant were truly one-way speed, it would be tough to argue for leaning on Brant hard, given the presence of so much other pace in this race. However, he showed a stalking gear on debut at Del Mar last summer. If Florent Geroux can tap into that gear and keep him out of a battle likely to consist of Flashy Fritz, his stablemate Potente, and outside-drawn Robusta, then Brant has a chance to get first run and force the closers to have to catch him in time. But, if he can’t tap into that tactical gear going long, then he could get in trouble; that is the major reason for being careful about getting too enthusiastic about Brant at such a short price.

San Felipe Stakes Undercard

The San Felipe Stakes is race 8 of 11 on the card Saturday at Santa Anita. It is one of the biggest cards of the meet, featuring four stakes races. In addition to the San Felipe, the card features the $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) for older dirt routers, the $300,000 Beholder Mile (G1) for older dirt route fillies and mares, and the $200,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) for older turf milers. The card features classy racing and solid fields all day long, making Saturday an excellent day to watch on FanDuel TV and bet online at FanDuel!

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park began as a part of Rancho Santa Anita. After a series of owners, it was acquired by horse breeder Lucky Baldwin, who built the original Santa Anita Park in 1904. That facility closed in 1909 after a California law banning racetrack gambling, and burned down in 1912. Horse racing became legal again in California in 1933, after which the Los Angeles Turf Club was formed. They built a new track, the present Santa Anita, which opened on Christmas Day in 1934.

Santa Anita's main track is a one-mile dirt oval. The turf track inside of it is a 0.9-mile grass oval. A unique feature of that Santa Anita turf track is the downhill course, which juts out to the northwest over the far turn, crosses over the dirt, and then joins the turf oval. Santa Anita runs 6 1/2-furlong turf sprints over that course, and also uses it as a start for some of its longer turf routes.

San Felipe Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the San Felipe Stakes?

A: The 2026 San Felipe Stakes happens on Saturday, March 7, at Santa Anita Park. Carded as the eighth of 11 races, post time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the San Felipe Stakes?

A: Trainer Bob Baffert has the most wins in the San Felipe with nine, most recently in 2024 with Imagination. He sends out a pair for the 2026 edition: Brant and Potente.

Q: Who is the favorite for the San Felipe Stakes?

A: Brant has been tabbed as the 1-1 morning-line favorite, coming off a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He is likely to hold as the favorite to post time, between his Grade 1 class and the fact that Baffert horses take money. Still – Baffert had the 1-1 morning-line favorite Barnes in the 2025 edition of this race and was defeated, so his heavy favorites are not all mortal locks.

Q: Who is the best San Felipe Stakes jockey?

A: Jockey Chris McCarron has won the San Felipe the most times: seven, between 1982 and 1998, with that last win coming with star sprinter Artax. Mike Smith leads the jockeys in the 2026 editions with three wins in the race, most recently with Life Is Good in 2021. He can extend his tally to four if he wins with So Happy.

Q: Who won the 2025 San Felipe Stakes?

A: Eventual Preakness Stakes winner Journalism won the San Felipe in 2025 for trainer Michael McCarthy and jockey Umberto Rispoli. Neither returns to the race in 2026.

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