San Felipe Stakes 2023 Field, Odds and Picks for Saturday 3/4/23

San Felipe Stakes 2023 Field, Odds and Picks for Saturday 3/4/23

Updated:

The Road to the Kentucky Derby continues with a Championship Series race Saturday at Santa Anita. The $400,000 San Felipe Stakes drew a field of 11 Derby hopefuls. The big Saturday card also includes a pair of Grade 1 races at "The Great Race Place."

The Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes is Saturday, March 4, and the top 5 finishers earn Kentucky Derby points (50-20-15-10-5). At the completion of all the Kentucky Derby points races, the top 20 points leaders on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard earn a spot at the starting gate for the May 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

The San Felipe is also a prep race for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, which awards 100-40-30-20-10 points to the top 5 finishers. A number of horses are worth watching and wagering on as these 3-year-olds continue to grow and develop in hopes of a chance to run in the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby.

Winning Kentucky Derby Prep Race Picks

Kentucky Derby prep winning picks in February on multiple races, including:
- Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs (Litigate: 3/1)
- Withers Stakes at Aqueduct (Hit Show: 7/5)
- Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita (Newgate: 6/5)
- Holy Bull at Gulfstream (Rocket Can: 5/2)

FanDuel Racing has you covered for the biggest racing days and events, including Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream. You can watch and wager on FanDuelTV.

The 1 1/16 mile San Felipe Stakes is Race 6 on Saturday, March 4 at Santa Anita, and has a post time of 5:30 p.m. ET.

San Felipe Stakes Field and Odds

Opening morning line odds to be provided once posted.

San Felipe Stakes Pick

The $400,000 San Felipe (G2) drew a competitive field of 11 runners with what appears to be five main contenders, in alphabetical order, they are Geaux Rocket Ride, Hejazi, National Treasure, Practical Move and Skinner.

Hejazi gets the slight nod over National Treasure with Geaux Rocket Ride, Skinner and Practical Move also contenders to consider. Hajazi was a $3.55 million auction purchase and a son of Bernardini out of a Medaglia d’Oro mare. He won a maiden special weight race on a wet track with a 105-speed figure in his 2023 debut on Jan. 15. That followed a third-place finish in a Grade 1 race at Santa Anita in October when National Treasure finished more impressively in second place at longer odds.

Skinner finished way back further in sixth place in that same Grade 1 race. Geaux Rocket Ride did not race as a 2-year-old and broke his maiden impressively in his debut race at 6 furlongs at the end of Jan. Practical Move makes his 2023 debut coming off a Grade 2 win at Los Alamitos in December and a third-place finish in a Grade 3 in November behind Newgate, who won the recent Robert B. Lewis Kentucky Derby prep.

Mike Smith rides Hajazi for trainer Tim Yakteen, who conditions horses for Bob Baffert (who is suspended from running horses in the Kentucky Derby). Yakteen is also training National Treasure, Practical Move, Fort Bragg and Mr. Fisk.

Pick: Hejazi and National Treasure to Win

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.