BC Juvenile Runner-Up Muth Returns in San Vicente

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won 12 runnings of the San Vicente Stakes (G2) and has two leading 3-year-olds in pursuit of a record-extending 13th when Muth  and Pilot Commander  face four other rivals in the $200,000, seven-furlong sprint at Santa Anita Park Jan. 6.

Zedan Racing Stables' Muth, the top California-based 2-year-old of 2023, won the Oct. 7 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita and ran second in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) behind eastern invader Fierceness , beaten 6 1/4 lengths after looming with a stalking bid in early stretch.

Before that pair of races at 1 1/16 miles, he twice sprinted, running second to stablemate Prince of Monaco  in the Aug. 13 Best Pal Stakes (G3) at Del Mar at six furlongs and romping by 8 3/4 lengths in a five-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita June 18. He has remained on a steady breeze schedule at Santa Anita since the Breeders' Cup, posting a couple of bullet workouts last month.

Juan Hernandez rides Muth, a 3-year-old son of Good Magic   who topped the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last year when he sold for $2 million.

Pilot Commander is not as experienced, having made just one start, a front-running, 2 1/4-length score against maidens Nov. 11 at Del Mar. The son of Justify   went through the same auction last year as Muth, selling to owners CSLR Racing Partners for $700,000.

Flavien Prat is aboard Saturday after Hernandez rode Pilot Commander to victory in the colt's debut. 

The Competition

Similarly inexperienced in the San Vicente is Moonlit Sonata , who surprised at 33-1 odds in prevailing at first asking at a Nov. 25 maiden race at Del Mar. He was later entered and scratched by trainer Tim Yakteen from last month's Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).

Geovanni Franco returns in the irons aboard the Soma Racing Stables-owned son of Malibu Moon.

He and Slider  appear to be the biggest threats to the Baffert duo.

The latter, like Muth, competed in the Breeders' Cup, though he raced on turf. He most recently was ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) for trainer John Sadler after capturing the Oct. 7 Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita. Both races came over five furlongs on grass.

• "After he won the prep, we decided to go on with it," Sadler said of running on grass. 
• Before those races, Slider twice raced on dirt at Del Mar, earning his maiden score Sept. 9 in a 5 1/2-furlong dirt race after a debut second over the same trip there July 29.
• Joel Rosario picks up the mount on the son of Jimmy Creed   for owners Hall Racing, Pearl Racing, and West Point Thoroughbreds.
• "He's doing good, training well on the dirt," Sadler added. "He had two good races on dirt back at Del Mar, no doubt about that. It makes sense to put him back on the dirt here."

As a sprint, the San Vicente does not offer qualifying points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. Ten horses have won the Derby after racing in the San Vicente, with seven 3-year-olds winning both races, the last of which was Nyquist   in 2016. 

The San Vicente is carded as the eighth race on the nine-race program with post time at 3:40 p.m. PT.