Newgate Triumphs in the Battle of the Bafferts

When all four contenders in the Feb. 4 $196,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) turned in the stretch, Bob Baffert had the rare luxury of winning the race before the race was even won.

In a contest that boiled down to the battle of the Bob Baffert trainees, it was Sham Stakes (G3) runner-up Newgate  who prevailed over Hard to Figure .

The victory comes during a critical time for Baffert, who has been immersed in a legal battle with Churchill Downs Incorporated since the disqualification of Medina Spirit from the 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) after a betamethasone positive. Following the Medina Spirit revelation, Churchill handed a 2-year ban to Baffert, which he is contesting in court. Although the Robert B. Lewis, a traditional Santa Anita Park Kentucky Derby prep race, offered 40 Derby points to the top four finishers on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale, none of this year’s participants earned a single point toward the first Saturday in May due to that ban.

Newgate, the even-money favorite, was last of the four through the early stages as Arabian Lion  wrested command from Hard to Figure. Behind fractions of :23.87 and :47.76, Newgate remained under a snug hold from Frankie Dettori until the rider let him out a notch around the far turn. Circling the field, Newgate cruised into contention and dueled a determined Hard to Figure the length of the stretch.

Newgate eventually got the better of Hard to Figure, pulling ahead by a neck under the wire in a final time of 1:43.11 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track. He returned $4 from a $2 win ticket.

"Frankie Dettori has been teaching him how to just sit back, relax, and come with a punch and that’s what he did today," Baffert said of Newgate after the race. The trainer landed a record 11th Robert B. Lewis win on Saturday. 

"…Newgate, before when we were sending him, he wasn’t finishing," Baffert added. "I wasn’t sure how far he wanted to go."

Hard to Figure, making his first start around two turns, was 1 3/4 lengths clear of Worcester  in third. Highly-regarded Arabian Lion faded to fourth and last.

Acquired for $850,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Newgate improved his earnings to $241,975 for owners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.

After a game second to stablemate Reincarnate  in the Sham Stakes Jan. 8, the Robert B. Lewis was the first stakes win for Newgate. It was also the first win for the son of Into Mischief   since his impressive debut score last summer at Del Mar.

The third foal from the graded stakes placed Majestic Warrior mare Majestic Presence, Newgate was bred by Town and County Horse Farms in Kentucky. The colt’s 2-year-old full sister, named Denim and Pearls, sold to Randy Gullatt for $500,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Majestic Presence's youngest offspring is a weanling filly by Authentic  .