Roadster's return leads Breeders' Cup undercard stakes

Before Breeders' Cup action begins Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park, a number of familiar names will go on the undercard, including a pair of Bob Baffert trainees setting themselves up to feature on another afternoon in Grade 1 company.

First, Friday's 10-race card includes three stakes -- two restricted California-bred juveniles -- before all Breeders' Cup's 2-year-old races run later in the afternoon. Saturday's 12-race card consists of three stakes before nine Breeders' Cup events run.

Here's a quick glance at those fields...

Marathon Stakes (G2)

The opener at 1:45 p.m. ET Friday, this race, a former Breeders' Cup event that continues to stick around each season, leads with the well-known John Sadler runner Campaign, who has twice this season won graded events at 1 1/2 miles and shouldn't mind going a quarter mile longer. Itsinthepost, a mainstay in California who has gone off form a big since winning four of five in Grade 2 company last year, will oppose him.

With an allowance race on turf carded as Race 2, the Golden State Juvenile and Golden State Juvenile Fillies then follow before Breeders' Cup action.

RELATED: Full Breeders' Cup Friday entries and odds

Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3)

Kentucky-based trained Eddie Kenneally, in for the Breeders' Cup, has the top contender in this 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares. He considered Girls Know Best for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, but instead she lands here as the 9-5 morning line favorite. California-breds Just Grazed Me and Don't Sell are next on the line for the Saturday opener at 1:07 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Full Breeders' Cup Saturday entries and odds

Damascus Stakes

Saturday's second race is worth a relatively small $100,000 in purse money and doesn't carry graded status. But plenty of eyes will be on it given the Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Roadster makes his first start since the summer, and Comical Ghost, a 2-for-2 Baffert stablemate, are in the field of five. Their primary competition looks like Flagstaff, who was third to Omaha Beach and Shancelot in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1). These 3-year-olds are eligible to go on to the Dec. 26 Malibu (G1) with a nice performance Saturday.

Twilight Derby (G2)

This race won't come close to living up to its name, running as Race 3 in broad daylight at 2:17 p.m. ET. At 1 1/8 miles, it's led by Nolde, the John Sadler-trained winner of the Del Mar Derby (G2) in his last start. Gray Magician, a last-out winner of a Keeneland allowance, will switch to turf after being considered by his connections for the Breeders' Cup, while Henley's Joy offers back class as a winner of July's Belmont Derby Invitational (G1).