Baffert Has 3 in San Felipe

Eight of the nine horses scheduled to run in the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes today at Santa Anita have something in common. So far this year, they have avoided Brother Derek, who is considered the top 3-year-old in the country.

Only Blazing Sunset, who will be a longshot in the Grade II at 1 1/16 miles, has faced Brother Derek -- in the Santa Catalina two weeks ago, a race Brother Derek won easily.

After today, the rest of the San Felipe hopefuls will have to take on the talented Brother Derek, a California bred who is unbeaten in four starts around two turns for owner Cecil Peacock and trainer Dan Hendricks. Unless, of course, these hopefuls decide to skip the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, which is the last major test locally before the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

Bob And John, one of three that trainer Bob Baffert entered in the San Felipe, is the likely favorite. In his first two starts as a 3-year-old, the Seeking The Gold colt has been dominant against suspect competition.

Owned by Bob and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable, Bob And John won an allowance race by three lengths at 7-10 odds on Jan. 20, 15 days before he won the Sham, a Grade III, by 4 1/2 lengths as the 2-5 choice.

Baffert, who also will run Point Determined and Sky Diving, has won the San Felipe twice since 2001.

Point Determined, a son of Point Given owned by Beverly Lewis and the estate of her late husband Bob Lewis, has won two of four, but this will be his first start in a graded stakes. The same is true of Sky Diving, whose last win came against maidens at Bay Meadows on Jan. 25.

One of those hoping to spoil Baffert’s day is Refinery, a son of Victory Gallop, who in 1998 won the Belmont Stakes and prevented the Baffert-trained Real Quiet from winning the Triple Crown.

Purchased for $425,000 as a 2-year-old by owner B. Wayne Hughes, Refinery will be looking to give trainer Richard Mandella his third San Felipe victory. The Hall of Fame trainer won this race in consecutive years with Soul Of The Matter (1994) and Afternoon Deelites (1995).

“This is a very important race for this colt,” Mandella said. “He has to show that he fits. It’s time to get into the deep end of the pool and this pool is deep enough. I think it will tell us what we’ve got.”

The field also includes A.P. Warrior, who will be making his first start for trainer John Shirreffs; Racketeer; New Joysey Jeff, who was second to Refinery on Feb. 25; and Simon Pure, who broke his maiden for trainer Wayne Lukas in his first start around two turns on March 2.

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Trainer Craig Lewis was fined $2,000 Wednesday for a pair of medication violations that occurred during the Oak Tree meet last fall.

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Jockey Joe Steiner, who was injured in a spill at Santa Anita last April, announced his retirement earlier this week. A native of Renton, Wash., Steiner, 41, had 967 wins in a career that began in 1981.

“I had a herniated disk and bone spurs in my left shoulder and I needed a plate and six screws before it was fused together,” said Steiner. “The doctors thought it was a rotator cuff at first, but it was a nerve and I was advised to retire.

“If I was 20, I wouldn’t care what the doctors said, but I’m 41, so I’m not going to leave in a wheelchair.”

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Cambiocorsa, the 3-5 favorite, won her sixth race in a row on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course, holding off 2-1 second choice Somethinaboutlaura by a head in the $134,125 Irish O’Brien Stakes on Friday.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for owners Lee and Ty Leatherman, the 4-year-old Avenue Of Flags filly has now won four times since Jan. 22 and has won six of 11 in her career. Ridden by Jon Court, the gray ran the about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.10.

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Patrick Valenzuela, the meet’s leading rider, will begin a three-day suspension next Friday after being disqualified from first and placed fifth for an incident while riding favored Belong To Parfait in the eighth race Thursday.