Messier dazzles in the Robert B. Lewis S. (G3)

Messier gave Bob Baffert his second decisive graded stakes winner on the Sunday card at Santa Anita when the 3-year-old colt powered home by 15 lengths in the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis S. (G3).

The victory came a few hours after Adare Manor won the Las Virgenes S. (G3) by a dozen lengths.

Messier, ridden by John Velazquez, turned in arguably the best performance by a 3-year-old to date this year. Handled expertly by John Velazquez, the bay colt was in a three-way battle for the lead for the first half of the 1 1/16-mile contest. Entering the final turn, he began to pull away without urging, then rocketed through the stretch when asked by Velazquez.

He finished up the distance in 1:42.89, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 103, the highest for any 3-year-old in 2022.

“Assistant trainer) Jim (Barnes) had Johnny work him for me once and he gave me some good input on him,” Baffert said. “He’s maturing, I could tell today that he’s growing, he’s getting bigger. You could tell when I put the saddle on him. He looked incredible, he looked the part. There were some good horses in there, they were legitimate horses.”

Messier is Baffert’s fourth straight Lewis winner, and his record 10^th overall.

Messier is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable & Siena Farm LLC. He is 3-2-0 in five starts, including a win in the Bob Hope S. (G3), and has earned $285,600.