Muth shows he belongs in Eclipse picture with San Vicente

ARCADIA, Calif. - Of the 30 flat horses that are finalists for the 2023 Eclipse Awards in age or surface categories, only the 3-year-old colt Muth is based in California.

Muth was the star 2-year-old of 2023 on the West Coast, winning the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita in October, and finishing second by 6 1/4 lengths to Fierceness in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.

Fierceness, based on the East Coast, is widely expected to be named champion 2-year-old male of 2023.

Muth’s consolation is a role as a finalist, and a reputation as one of the top runners in the division. The colt began his 3-year-old season on Saturday with a smart win in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs.

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Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Muth stalked the pace to early stretch before taking the lead. He won by 2 3/4 lengths over Pilot Commander, giving trainer Bob Baffert a sweep of the exacta in the field of six.

Baffert won the San Vicente for a record 13th time.

Muth, purchased for $2 million last March and owned by Amr Zedan, won for the third time in his fifth start.

“He was so professional,” Baffert said on Sunday morning in his stable office.

The San Vicente has been run in early February in the past. Santa Anita rearranged its schedule of graded stakes for 3-year-olds this year, eliminating the Sham Stakes at a mile that had been run in January in favor of moving the San Vicente a month earlier.

The next race in the series is the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes, a $200,000 race at a mile on Feb. 3. On Sunday, Baffert was noncommittal about race plans for Muth.

The colt is a candidate for the Lewis as well as the expansive list of stakes at Oaklawn Park, another venue Baffert supports.

“I’m week to week,” Baffert said. “I nominate to everything and decide where to go.”

Long-range plans are less certain. Baffert is currently suspended from having runners in the Kentucky Derby because of a longstanding dispute with Churchill Downs management over a post-race positive found in Medina Spirit, who finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby for Zedan and Baffert.

In the last few years, a few of Baffert’s leading 3-year-olds have been moved to California trainer Tim Yakteen in advance of the Kentucky Derby.

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