ARCADIA, Calif. – Well-bred 3-year-old Plutarch jumped into the Derby picture Saturday at Santa Anita, but a number of story lines will emerge from the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Bob Baffert scored his eighth consecutive Lewis victory with Plutarch ($10.20) in the mile race, and jockey Florent Geroux told Baffert that Plutarch was just getting warmed up. “He’s the perfect horse for a mile and an eighth, mile and a quarter,” Geroux said. Sired by Into Mischief and produced by Grade 1 winner Stellar Wind, Plutarch won by three-quarters of a length over Intrepido. The 1:37.02 time is likely to produce a Beyer Speed Figure in the 90s. But did the best horse win the Lewis? That is open to interpretation. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Secured Freedom and Desert Gate, expected to be positioned one-two early, both broke slowly and lost their chance. Secured Freedom, stretching out from a maiden sprint, finished third and galloped out great after the wire. Desert Gate, the 6-5 favorite, broke slowly and finished fourth. With the two speed horses out of the equation early, it was Intrepido surprisingly on the lead. Making his first start since finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Intrepido set or pressed the pace inside, dueled with Plutarch through the lane, and weakened late. Intrepido ran super. “I really didn’t expect him to be on the lead,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “I figured (Desert Gate) would go, and (Secured Freedom) would go, and we’d be sitting in the pocket.” Instead, Intrepido and Hector Berrios set the pace inside. Intrepido battled, and finished 3 1/4 lengths clear of third in a promising comeback. Intrepido earned 10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby and is tied for third on the points list with Plutarch, who also has 23 points. It typically takes at least 40 points to ensure a berth in the Kentucky Derby. Secured Freedom finished third, and also stamped himself as a Derby prospect. Maiden sprint winner last out, Secured Freedom was expected to press the pace under Kazushi Kimura. Bad luck at the break. “He was a step slow, and I had to take him a little bit wide,” Kimura said. “He kind of keeps grinding, he’s a one-paced horse. He picked it up well, finished up strong. He’s going to get better with distance, too.” Secured Freedom, 3-1 second choice in the betting, is trained by Tim Yakteen. The performance by Secured Freedom stamped him as a genuine Derby contender in just the third start of his career. Secured Freedom earned six Derby qualifying points. Desert Gate, the Baffert-trained favorite coming in off a four-month layoff, was flat-footed breaking from the rail under Juan Hernandez. Instead of setting the pace, Desert Gate was positioned fourth or fifth on the rail. “He’s so one-dimensional, and he’s got to have the lead,” Baffert said. Whether or not Desert Gate is a true long-distance horse is another matter that is subject to interpretation. But few will argue that Plutarch is gradually emerging as one of the ones. He was making his sixth career start and first since winning a 1 1/8-mile maiden turf route in November at Del Mar. Plutarch showed surprising speed Saturday under Geroux to set or press the pace outside Intrepido, and they separated themselves from the field in the stretch. “As soon as he made the lead, (Geroux) said he wanted to wait on horses," Baffert said. “He’ll figure it out. The distance is not going to be a problem the way he’s bred.” Plutarch is owned by the Coolmore partnership of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith. The win was his second straight and puts him squarely in the Derby picture. The win by Plutarch was the 14th Lewis victory for Baffert. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.