ARCADIA, Calif. – Cherokee Nation’s 10-length maiden romp Friday at Santa Anita in 1:34.50, the fastest dirt mile at Santa Anita in nearly a decade, produced a 100 Beyer Speed Figure and earned the colt a start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4. “That was a ‘Wow,’ the light went on,” trainer Bob Baffert said Saturday morning. “He was a different horse yesterday. He’s just starting to fill out, he’s figuring it out.” Cherokee Nation, a $1,150,000 yearling by Not This Time, was making his sixth start in the maiden race. In his previous start, he finished fifth in the Grade 3 Robert B . Lewis Stakes won by since-sidelined Plutarch. Baffert acknowledged he ran Cherokee Nation colt over his head. “I kept running him, trying to get a foundation, there are no allowance races here,” Baffert said. “I just kept running him and running him, that’s the only way I could get a foundation into him. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more “Now, with the maiden win, it’s perfect,” Baffert said. “I’ll just wait for the Santa Anita Derby.” If he runs like he ran Friday against maidens, Cherokee Nation will take some beating no matter who shows up in the Santa Anita Derby. Emisael Jaramillo rode Cherokee Nation for the first time Friday. The colt pressed the pace under a hold while tracking stablemate/pacesetter Winston Ave. At the quarter pole, Jaramillo turned Cherokee Nation loose, and he ran away by 10 lengths. The racing surface Friday at Santa Anita was faster than normal; Cherokee Nation’s 1:34.50 clocking was the fastest dirt mile at Santa Anita in nearly 10 years. Baccelo won a second-level allowance/optional-claiming race in 1:34.11 on June 10, 2016. Cherokee Nation earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, the second-highest by a 2023 foal. Brant, also trained by Baffert, earned a 101 Beyer winning his career debut last summer racing 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar. Cherokee Nation was fourth in that race. After the maiden win, Baffert said Cherokee Nation “came back like it was nothing. I’ve been waiting for somebody to step forward and say, ‘Hey, I’m the guy!’ That was it.” Cherokee Nation is owned by a partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, and Stonestreet Stables.  The complexion of the Santa Anita Derby will be determined after the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 7. The San Felipe nominees include graded stakes winners Brant, Intrepido, and So Happy. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.