Potente Up In Time In San Felipe Upset; Brant Finishes Fifth

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Bob Baffert had a two-strong chance to earn a record-extending 10th win in Saturday's GII San Felipe Stakes.

His best shot looked to be with the 4-5 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner) who was making his first start back since running third to Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last November.

But it was his other runner, 8-1 shot and $2.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale graduate Potente (Into Mischief) who secured the win and 50 Kentucky Derby points for the Baffert stable, running down 67-1 longshot Robusta (Accelerate) to spring the upset as his favored stablemate crossed the line fifth.

Far and away the least-experienced runner in the field with just his narrow Jan. 31 gate-to-wire maiden win going six furlongs on his record, Potente had a big jump in just about every metric, most notably in class and, stretching out to 1 1/16-miles Saturday, distance.

He would also need to show some versatility, especially as his naturally quicker stablemate got off to a clean beginning and Potente had to check back into an early fifth.

Brant had company up front from the start in the form of GII San Vincente winner So Happy (Runhappy) and that pair led Robusta up the backstretch. Potente sat just in behind that wall of runners with company to his inside as Secured Freedom (Practical Joke) looked for running room up the rail.

It was Robusta who made the first run at the leaders midway around the far turn, engaging three wide in the Calumet Farm silks as Brant came under a ride from Florent Geroux but lacked any response at the quarter pole.

The longshot son of Accelerate looked to blow the board wide open as he hit the front close to home but Potente, who angled out to find room at the sixteenth pole, was charging hard and just found the line in time to nail the longshot in the shadow of the wire to stay perfect in his young career. Brant was eased once out of contention and finished up fifth.

“This horse has a lot of talent,” said Hernandez. “He's big, he's strong, and he showed up today. He breaks really, really good and relaxes really well behind the other horses. Last time he ran on the lead, but today, he was traveling really good behind horses, like a professional. As we turned for home, I swung out a little bit, and it took me a little while to get going, because, like I said, he's very big. But man, he's a really, really nice horse. It's only his second start and he's improving. I think he's going to be even better next time.”

“I knew the pace was going to be hot,” Baffert added of his two runners. “I think Brant was a work away from this race. He got tired. Potente is bred to go that far. He was ready for that. Kimura told me he thought the horse was a two-turn horse. That horse that ran second (Robusta) is not a bad horse that he beat.  He beat Cherokee Nation. I was just a little disappointed in Brant. We're moving forward with Potente. He'll have another start before the Kentucky Derby.”

With 50 points now on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Potente jumps to seventh, currently the highest Baffert-trained runner on the leaderboard. Robusta also picked up 25 points for his efforts and sits 14th for Chief Stipe O'Neill.

Pedigree Note:
Potente is yet another feather in the cap for leading general sire Into Mischief who continues to fire on all cylinders heading into Kentucky Derby season for Spendthrift Farm. At $2.4-million, the second highest hip sold at the Saratoga Sale in 2024, Potente is also the priciest Into Mischief yearling sold that year and one of seven yearlings to hit the seven-figure price tag that sales season for their in-demand sire.

Sweet Sting, placed in the Memories of Silver at Aqueduct in her racing career, has three winners from four to race and is herself a daughter of an Eclipse-winning grass mare in Perfect Sting. There are several classy Canadian runners in the pedigree including her half-sister, GSW Smart Sting (Smart Strike). The family also includes GII Dwyer Stakes third Billal (Street Sense).

Her 2-year-old Not This Time filly, now named You Didn't Know, brought $430,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September last year for Lauren Carlisle and she reported a full-sister to Potente in 2025 before visiting Muth for 2026.

 

#5 POTENTE ($18.20) soared past Robusta to win the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at @santaanitapark with @JJHernandezS19 in the irons. The son of Into Mischief (@SpendthriftFarm) is trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Speedway Stables. pic.twitter.com/x2r99AigAv

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 7, 2026

Saturday, Santa Anita
SAN FELIPE S. PRESENTED BY DK HORSE-GII, $201,000, Santa Anita, 3-7, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.92, ft.
1–POTENTE, 120, c, 3, by Into Mischief
              1st Dam: Sweet Sting (SP), by Awesome Again
              2nd Dam: Perfect Sting, by Red Ransom
              3rd Dam: Valid Victress, by Valid Appeal
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
($2,400,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG). O-Speedway Stables LLC;
B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J.
Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $162,000.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Robusta, 120, c, 3, Accelerate–Urbane Legend, by Into
Mischief. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Chief Stipe F. O'Neill. $40,000.
3–So Happy, 120, c, 3, Runhappy–So Cunning, by Blame.
($12,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT;
$150,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). O-Norman Stables LLC and
Saints or Sinners; B-Leverett S. Miller (KY); T-Mark Glatt.
$24,000.
Margins: HD, 2 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 8.10, 67.30, 2.10.
Also Ran: Secured Freedom, Brant, Start the Ride, Flashy Fritz.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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