MALIBU STAKES GRADE 1

Not many were willing to pass up that opportunity Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park, as the $300,000 race drew an overflow field, with 14 sophomores drawn into the main field and two on the also-eligible list.

Adequan
"The grade 1 brings 'em out," said trainer Bob Baffert, who entered five in the seven-furlong race, including multiple grade 1 winner McKinzie, the 7-2 morning-line favorite.

Baffert also has multiple grade 1-placed Solomini, grade 2-placed Nero, and multiple grade 3-placed Ax Man in the main field, and allowance winner Super Sol is first on the also-eligible list.

Baffert will seek his third Malibu victory—he won with Shakin It Up  in 2013 and The Factor  in 2011—but his competition won't be a run-of-the-mill Southern California stakes field.

Six challengers have invaded from the East, including 2017 Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Coors Light (G2) winner Copper Bullet, who returned from a 15-month layoff to win a Churchill Downs allowance for trainer Steve Asmussen Nov. 23 by 3 1/2 lengths over grade 3 winner Wild Shot.

Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G2) winner Still Having Fun is the only other graded winner in the group of out-of-towners, which is rounded out by Majestic Dunhill, Identity Politics, Bobby's Wicked One, and Seven Trumpets, who has placed in three graded stakes since July and most recently finished eighth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

The top local challengers to Baffert's contingent are Axelrod and Kanthaka, both multiple graded winners.

The Michael McCarthy-trained Axelrod won the Indiana Derby (G3) and Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) over the summer, then came in second to McKinzie in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) before a ninth-place run in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).



"The horse is training forwardly," McCarthy said of the Warrior's Reward  colt. "He's had a couple easy weeks since the Breeders' Cup, but we've picked it up with a couple solid works in a row. ... He's a feel-good horse—a happy horse—and he just shows up and runs his race. He just runs. I wish a had a barn full like that. He just shows up."

Kanthaka, who will make his first start since he won the May 12 Lazaro Barrera Stakes (G3), has shown an affinity both for Santa Anita and the seven-furlong distance. The Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Jimmy Creed  colt is undefeated at seven-eighths and three-for-four at Santa Anita, with his only loss a third behind McKinzie and Bolt d'Oro  in the March 10 San Felipe (G2). His wins at seven furlongs include the Barrera and the Feb. 10 San Vicente (G2).

Rounding out the field is 2017 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) winner Greyvitos and stakes-placed allowance winner Calexman.

ENTRIES: MALIBU S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Wednesday, December 26, 2018, Race 9

Grade I7fDirt $300,0003 yo4:00 PM (local)

PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L

1 1Calexman (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Geovanni Franco 120 Vladimir Cerin 30/1

2 2Majestic Dunhill (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Manuel Franco 120 George Weaver 30/1

3 3Copper Bullet (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 120 Steven M. Asmussen 6/1

4 4Still Having Fun (MD) Kent J. Desormeaux 122 Timothy L. Keefe 20/1

5 5Identity Politics (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Chad C. Brown 12/1

6 6Axelrod (FL) John R. Velazquez 122 Michael W. McCarthy 10/1

7 7Seven Trumpets (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Robby Albarado 120 Dale L. Romans 12/1

8 8Nero (KY) Joseph Talamo 120 Bob Baffert 12/1

9 9Ax Man (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Bob Baffert 5/1

10 10Bobby's Wicked One (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Tyler Gaffalione 120 Albert M. Stall, Jr. 10/1

11 11Greyvitos (VA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Evin A. Roman 120 Adam Kitchingman 20/1

12 12Kanthaka (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Jerry Hollendorfer 6/1

13 13McKinzie (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mike E. Smith 124 Bob Baffert 7/2

14 14Solomini (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 120 Bob Baffert 10/1

15 15Super Sol (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 120 Bob Baffert 20/1

16 16Cool Bobby (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Rafael Bejarano 120 Peter Eurton 20/1