Baffert, O'Neill bring squads to Santa Anita Derby

ARCADIA, Calif. – The two trainers who have accounted for five of the last eight winners of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby will start a majority of the field in the $1 million race April 8.

Bob Baffert, who has won the race a record seven times, will have three runners – American Anthem, Reach the World, and West Coast. Baffert won the race most recently in 2015 with Dortmund.

Doug O’Neill, who won consecutive runnings with I’ll Have Another and Goldencents in 2012 and 2013, will have four starters – Iliad, Milton Freewater, So Conflated, and Term of Art.

Iliad, second to Mastery in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 11, will be favored, though the Baffert-trained Reach the World will attract support in his stakes debut. Reach the World was a game second to Santa Anita Derby probable Battle of Midway in an optional claimer March 9.

Reach the World on Thursday worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds, the second-fastest of 17 recorded works at the distance.

“He looked nice,” Baffert said. “He’ll never burn up the track in the morning.”

Mastery was rated the leading 3-year-old male in California at the beginning of the year but was pulled up immediately after the San Felipe with a leg injury that required surgery. He is out indefinitely.

Without Mastery, the Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles has an open feel. Other probable starters are Gormley, Kimbear, and Midnight Pleasure.

West Coast, a maiden-race winner March 12, will be fitted with blinkers for the Santa Anita Derby. American Anthem was second to Gormley in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes but 10th of 11 as the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 18. Gormley was fourth in the San Felipe.