2012 San Felipe Stakes – Key Race for Top Kentucky Derby Contenders

Dating all the way back to Santa Anita's inaugural season in 1935, the San Felipe Stakes is annually one of Southern California's top prep races for the Kentucky Derby. A strong performance in the San Felipe usually leads to a start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and ultimately, if everything goes well, to the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. The Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes is contested at 1 1/16-miles over Santa Anita's dirt main track and will be worth $300,000 in 2012. The sizable purse is of utmost importance because if more than the maximum of 20 horses are entered for the Kentucky Derby, starting spots are awarded to horses with highest amount of earnings in graded stakes races. The 2012 San Felipe Stakes to be run Saturday, March 10 is shaping up to be by far the strongest of Southern California's Kentucky Derby prep races to this point. However, the race did take somewhat of a hit in the lead-up as Grade 3 Sham Stakes winner Out of Bounds, considered one of Southern California's top Kentucky Derby prospects, suffered a leg injury in his final work prior to the San Felipe and is now off the Kentucky Derby trail. Trainer Bob Baffert, who has several Kentucky Derby contenders in his barn, said he expects to run two horses from the trio of Fed Biz, Liaison and Bodemeister in the San Felipe Stakes. Liaison is a proven Grade 1 winner, but Fed Biz and Bodemeister would be making their first foray into Graded Stakes company in the San Felipe. Also expected to run is Grade 1 winner Creative Cause for trainer Mike Harrington. Creative Cause ended his 2-year-old season with a solid third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November and was a fast-closing third in the Grade 2, seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes while making his 3-year-old debut last month. With the added distance and now having a recent race under his belt, Creative Cause is likely to take a big step forward in the San Felipe. The other 3-year-old that figures to gain plenty of attention in the San Felipe is Midnight Transfer. The son of Hard Spun won the 6 1/2-furlong San Pedro Stakes off just a Maiden win in January, but will now be asked with navigating two turns for the first time in the San Felipe Stakes . Many previous winners of the San Felipe have gone on to make major noise in the Triple Crown. That group includes such luminaries as Point Given (2001), Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), Sunday Silence (1989) and Affirmed (1978). Affirmed would go on to become Thoroughbred racing's last Triple Crown winner, while Point Given and Sunday Silence would each capture two legs of the Triple Crown. Baffert and fellow Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham lead all trainers in number of San Felipe wins with four apiece. Whittingham captured his first in 1956 and his last with Sunday Silence in 1989. Baffert won his last San Felipe with Pioneerof The Nile in 2009. Legendary rider Chris McCaron leads all jockeys in number of San Felipe wins with seven, which all came between 1982-1998.