Each week, members of the national media vote on the nation's top contenders on the Triple Crown trail in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won Santa Anita Park’s Robert B. Lewis Stakes on 13 occasions. In fact, the last seven renewals of the one-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifier have gone to Baffert trainees.
After a week-plus of significant winter weather and Arctic temperatures across most of the eastern half of the U.S. led to several racetracks closing and postponing stakes, the upcoming week promises to be a return to normalcy for most venues, and with a boost in major races on the calendar.
Trainer Chad Brown has won two of the last five editions of the $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. He has a strong chance to pick up a third win when the 2026 edition of the 1 1/8-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifier is contested on Friday.
