Overview

• The Santa Anita Derby, featuring a reduced field of five horses, will determine key qualifiers for the Kentucky Derby later today.
• Journalism, the 6-5 favorite, aims to solidify his status as the leading Kentucky Derby contender following a dominant San Felipe Stakes victory.
• Bob Baffert’s Citizen Bull, already qualified for the Derby, uses this race as a preparatory run, while Barnes must finish in the top two to secure his spot.
• Barnes, a $3.2 million yearling, has shown improvement in training after his first two-turn race and loss to Journalism in March.
• The small field reduces the available Kentucky Derby points, intensifying pressure on contenders like Barnes and Baeza to perform well.