Flashback crushes the field in the G2 Robert B. Lewis

Flashback rolled to a deceptively easy 6 1/4-length score in Saturday's $200,000 Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita Park to give the 3-year-old Bob Baffert trainee his first career stakes win in his black-type debut. With stablemate Den's Legacy finishing second, the Lewis turned up a Baffert exacta

Flashback controlled the pace of the 1 1/16-mile Lewis from the outset. Securing the rail spot early on, he was pressed by stablemate Den's Legacy and He's Had Enough (also by Tapit), through a half-mile in :48.69. With a little more than a quarter-mile to go, Flashback began to edge away, and after Julien Leparoux set him down for the stretch drive, he bounded away with every stride to get the distance in 1:42.95.

“It was an easy race, we won easy, and this is a nice horse. If he keeps improving, I think he has a bright future,” said Leparoux.

"We were hoping he would do something like that, but when a horse came to him, he pinned his ears a little bit," Baffert added. "You can actually put him wherever you want him."

As far what’s next, Baffert is going to take his usual wait and see approach, "Right now, I don’t know. I’ll speak with Gary (owners Gary and Mary West), we’ll just figure out a plan for him and just keep him healthy. We knew he was a special horse, and to win the Robert Lewis is really a sentimental win for me because he was one of the greatest owners in the sport. It brings back a lot of good memories. I want to thank Gary and Mary West for putting a monster like this in my lap. It makes it more fun when you have a horse like this."

The was a record-tying fourth win in the Lewis for Baffert, a raced named in honor of the aforementioned late owner whom Baffert had great success with, highlighted by his 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm. Baffert's previous Lewis winners were Pioneerof the Nile (2009), Domestic Dispute (2003), and General Challenge (1999).