ARCADIA, Calif. – If the colt Nysos truly is the best 3-year-old in California, frustration may increase over an embargo that precludes his trainer from a certain race on the first Saturday in May. Nysos faces a different challenge on the first Saturday in February. After winning two fast sprints by a combined margin of more than 20 lengths, the question for Nysos is whether he can make a successful transition to two turns. Trainer Bob Baffert believes he can. “You never know until they go two turns, but I haven’t seen any indication that he won’t be able to handle it,” Baffert said after Nysos drew post 6 in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. “He’s been working well. I just hope the weather isn’t a factor.” A midweek storm was expected to taper Friday. Nysos is favored Saturday in the $200,000 Lewis, shortened this year to one mile. Nine entered the Lewis, a race Baffert has won the race the last five years with favorites, 11 times overall. In addition to Nysos, Baffert entered Wine Me Up and Coach Prime. The race offers 42 Kentucky Derby points, though Baffert trainees currently are not eligible for the Derby, or points, due to Churchill Downs extending its ban of Baffert. The restriction weakens the Derby. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2024: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Not so the Lewis at Santa Anita, where Nysos has worked super for his first start since a Nov. 19 runaway in the Grade 3 Bob Hope at Del Mar. Jockey Flavien Prat told Baffert after the seven-furlong stakes that two turns should be no problem. Nysos has earned 96 and 97 Beyers, tops in the Lewis field. His versatility allows him to set or press the pace. Along with Nysos stablemates Wine Me Up and Coach Prime, the Lewis field includes improving Better Than Gold and stretch-out Scatify, a sharp debut sprint winner who could set the pace. Graded-placed Stronghold is entered but not a confirmed starter. Other Lewis entrants are Ace of Clubs, Moonlight Sonata, and the maiden Mc Vay. If the Lewis is to have Kentucky Derby implications, a candidate is Better Than Gold, who is facing Nysos a second time. The two colts, both by Nyquist, met in a maiden sprint in October. Nysos won by more than 10 lengths, while Better Than Gold finished a distant eighth. It was only a prep. “He’s a big, leggy colt and he trained like he had talent, but I was just giving him a race to set him up to go long,” trainer Gary Mandella said. “That [sprint] really set his mind right.” Sure enough, Better Than Gold improved second out, winning a maiden dirt mile by a neck over a pair of next-out winners. Mike Smith rode Better Than Gold, and works him regularly. Mandella acknowledged that “Nysos is definitely a faster horse,” but added “the farther they go, the more [Better Than Gold] will close that gap. He really wants to run all day.” Scatify breaks from the outside post under Hector Berrios as he tries to replicate his 84 Beyer debut sprint win. Trainer John Sadler believes Scatify will stay the mile trip. “ I think he’ll be fine,” Sadler said, citing three reasons: “How he trains, how he looks, how he’s bred.” Sired by Justify, Scatify may have only one option from post 9 – race to the lead and try to steal it. Stronghold, runner-up in the Bob Hope and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, is entered in the Lewis but may not run. “We’re going to take a look, weigh our options, and go from there,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. If he does start, Stronghold will add blinkers. “We breezed him with blinkers. We thought it made a little bit of a difference of terms of his focus, so we’re going to try it out,” D’Amato said. “We’re still early enough in the game, we can always take them off next time.” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Antonio Fresu is Stronghold’s rider. If he skips the Lewis, Stronghold most likely will ship out of town. Derby prep options in February include the Risen Star at Fair Grounds, the Sunland Derby, and the Rebel at Oaklawn Park. The Baffert-trained upset candidates in the Lewis are Wine Me Up and blinkers-off Coach Prime. The trainer believes Wine Me Up is better than his recent races indicate. “He’s always been a little immature. I think he’s starting to figure it out. I think he’s coming up to a big race. His last couple of works have been really nice.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.