O'Neill saddles 60 percent of field in Robert Lewis Stakes
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With three horses entered, Doug O’Neill has 60 percent in a field of five for Saturday’s Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, but it’s not a personal record for the trainer, who won the Kentucky Derby twice in the last four years, with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and last year with champion two-year-old male of 2015 Nyquist.
“I remember having three in the Malibu in 2004 when Lava Man ran second (to Rock Hard Ten),” O’Neill said between intermittent rain drops that were not enough to cancel training Friday morning.
O’Neill also sent out Harvard Avenue to finish second and Perfect Moon to run third behind Rock Hard Ten, but accounted for only 30 percent of the field as there were 10 starters.
O’Neill has Oak Tree Juvenile winner Dangerfield, the maiden Irap, and Cecil B. DeMille winner Term of Art going in the Lewis, which offers 17 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, 10 to the winner.
“The pressure’s on,” O’Neill said with a chuckle, alluding to his Lewis majority. “Seriously, all three are doing well. They have the pedigree, they have the class, they’ve got the stride. They’ve all showed glimpses of being that kind of horse, so we’re optimistic.’
The field for the Lewis, which goes as the second event on a nine-race card that starts at 12:30 p.m.: Royal Mo, Victor Espinoza, 5-2; Irap, Mario Gutierrez, 3-1; Dangerfield, Kent Desormeaux, 7-2; Term of Art, Tyler Baze, 9-2; and Sheer Flattery, Mike Smith, 2-1.
Source: Santa Anita Park
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