A close second in his most recent start, Newgate heads a field of four Bob Baffert trainees going 1 1/16 miles in Saturday's $200,000 Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita.
The race is a Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifier, providing points on a 20-8-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers toward eligibility for the Louisville classic.
Off at 5-1 in the Sham Stakes (G3) at one mile on Jan. 8 at Santa Anita, Newgate, last early in a compact field of five, rallied gallantly through the lane but couldn't get on terms with stablemate Reincarnate, losing by a neck under Frankie Dettori, who rides him back on Saturday.
An $850,000 Keeneland September yearling saale purchase, Newgate was second two starts back in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) going seven furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 20 and will be making his fifth graded stakes appearance since breaking his maiden going 5 ½ furlongs first time out on July 30.
Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, et al., Newgate, a bay colt by Into Mischief out of the Majestic Warrior mare Majestic Presence, is 1-2-0 from five starts with earnings of $121,975.
Odds-on in all three of his starts, Arabian Lion, who flopped at 2-5 while beaten 12 lengths in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) Dec. 17, will hope to run back to a big second-place finish going seven furlongs in a first condition allowance at Keeneland Nov. 4, a race in which he finished second by three quarters of a length at 3-5.
A first-out maiden winner going six furlongs here on Oct. 9, Arabian Lion earned a 92 first-out Beyer Speed Figure and followed that with a 93 Beyer at Keeneland. Purchased for $600,000 out of the OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training sale last April, Arabian Lion is owned by Zedan Racing Stables and is by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.
The field for the Robert B. Lewis, with jockey, and weight:
1. Arabian Lion, John Velazquez, 122
2. Newgate, Lanfranco Dettor, 120
3. Worcester, Juan Hernandez, 120
4, Hard to Figure, Ramon Vazquez, 120
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