ARCADIA, Calif. – Citizen Bull picked up right where he left off.
The champion juvenile colt of 2024 took advantage of a favorable trip Saturday at Santa Anita, where he scored a front-running victory in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, his first start since he led wire to wire three months ago in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.
It won’t always be as easy for Citizen Bull ($3.80) as it was Saturday at Santa Anita. The colt set soft easy fractions to win by 3 3/4 lengths lengths over stablemate Rodriguez. Madaket Road finished third in a race that was basically over after Citizen Bull recovered from a slight bobble at the break.
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“He just broke too fast,” jockey Martin Garcia said. “He stumbled a little, then he took me [to the lead].”
Citizen Bull always sets the pace in route races, and when the opening half-mile of the Lewis went in a comfortable 47.06, the others had little chance. Citizen Bull won the one-mile race in 1:36.71 with plenty in the tank.
“I only hit him one time,” Garcia said. “He was just messing around. He had one ear forward, and one ear backward. That means you have plenty of horse.”
Citizen Bull gave trainer Bob Baffert his seventh consecutive victory in the Lewis, and his 13th overall. Citizen Bull also was the seventh consecutive favorite to win the Lewis. Baffert also trains two-three finishers Rodriguez and Madaket Road.
“All three of them will move forward, and they need to,” Baffert said, including Citizen Bull. “Especially for a horse as heavy as he is. He’s a heavy horse. He shows me so much more in the afternoon than he does in the morning.”
Baffert had cautioned the Lewis was only a comeback prep for Citizen Bull, though few envisioned him cruising effortlessly on an easy lead. “He wasn’t cranked up totally but he is such a good horse that he just caught another gear.”
The comeback win solidifies Citizen Bull as one of the top prospects for the Kentucky Derby. It was his fourth win from five starts. In addition to the BC Juvenile, he also won the Grade 1 American Pharoah last fall at Santa Anita.
Rodriguez was not at all disgraced. He was making only his third career start, and facing tougher company after a maiden romp last month. Rodriguez and Juan Hernandez were forwardly placed pressing the winner, but into the far turn he appeared to drop out of contention. To his credit, he re-rallied wide and finished second in a performance that was better than it looks.
“Rodriguez was a little bit confused today,” Baffert said. “He needs more racing. Citizen Bull was always in a nice rhythm. Rodriguez had to sort of back out of it, and come back around. Very impressive what he did running second.”
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