With rain in forecast, Robert Lewis Stakes hopefuls work Friday

With significant rain in the forecast for the weekend, a number of horses with designs on major races next weekend got in drills on Friday morning at Santa Anita, included Spielberg, the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity winner, who is scheduled to compete in the Grade 3, $100,000 Robert Lewis Stakes on Saturday, Jan. 30.

Spielberg worked five furlongs in company with Medina Spirit, with both receiving times of 1:01.20.

Bob Baffert, who trains both colts, on Friday morning said Spielberg was “for sure” for the Lewis, but he had yet to decide on what he would do with Medina Spirit. One possibility could be next month’s Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, whose meet began Friday with the Smarty Jones Stakes.

Medina Spirit comes off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on Jan. 2 to stablemate Life Is Good, who is awaiting the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes on March 6, putting him on the same schedule as Authentic – the eventual Kentucky Derby winner – last year. Life Is Good has worked once since the Sham, breezing four furlongs in 47 seconds on Jan. 11. He had a routine training session Friday.

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“There was a little bug, a little virus, going through the barn,” Baffert said. “He never really got sick. But since he wasn’t going to run until March, we took it easy with him. He’s galloping.”

Among those scheduled to face Spielberg in the Lewis are the Doug O’Neill-trained duo of Hot Rod Charlie and Wipe the Slate, both of whom worked Friday.

Hot Rod Charlie, idle since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked six furlongs in 1:16.60. Wipe the Slate, who defeated maidens in his second start after finishing second to Life Is Sweet in their respective debuts at Del Mar, worked six furlongs in 1:12.60.

“Both are pointing to the Bob Lewis after their works this morning,” O’Neill said.

Rombauer, fifth in the Juvenile, is under consideration for the Lewis for Michael McCarthy. Rombauer, too, worked Friday, going five furlongs in 1:02.20.

In other significant 3-year-old news, Get Her Number – last seen winning the Grade 1 American Pharoah last fall at Santa Anita – had his first work of the year on Friday, going three furlongs in 38.80 seconds at San Luis Rey Downs for trainer Peter Miller.