2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes odds, horses, field: West Coast-based racing insider offers best bets, top picks

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert can continue his dominance in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes when he sends out three horses in the 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The 73-year-old Baffert has won the race a record 13 times—nine more than any other trainer—including the last seven runnings. On Saturday he saddles three horses, including Desert Gate, who has been installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes odds. Baffert also has Plutarch (4-1) and Cherokee Nation (5-1). The Jeff Mullins-trained Intrepido (7-2) rounds out the top four choices among the seven Robert B. Lewis Stakes horses. Post time for the Robert B. Lewis Stakes 2026 is 7:05 p.m. ET.

With several talented horses entering the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what West Coast-based racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes picks.

Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. She started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young's win in the Saudi Cup, Journalism's win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sandman's win in the Arkansas Derby and Mindframe's win in the Churchill Downs Stakes. She also hit the exacta in the Kentucky Derby.

And in August she hit the Fierceness-Journalism exacta in the Pacific Classic.

For the 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Yu has made her picks and constructed her bets. One surprise: She is high on Plutarch even though he is the 4-1 third choice. "He seems like he really wants more ground not less," Yu told SportsLine. She is using Plutarch prominently in her wagers.

Moreover Yu's top pick is a horse who is "as game as they come." She also is high on a longshot who "looked very good" in his last race. She is including these horses in her 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see her picks before locking in any of your own.

So which horse wins the 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes? What longshot is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Michelle Yu's 2026 Robert B. Lewis Stakes picks and bets, all from the racing insider who nailed the Kentucky Derby exacta!