Stephen Foster Stakes Gains Another Elite Contender in Baeza
The Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 27 continues to attract top-tier talent, with Grade 1 winner Baeza becoming the latest addition to what promises to be a preview of this year’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Robert Clay of co-owner Grandview Equine confirmed May 12 that Baeza will target the 1⅛-mile contest, joining an increasingly formidable field of accomplished handicap division stars.
Star-Studded Field Taking Shape
The Stephen Foster lineup, if it materializes as expected, will feature a remarkable collection of talent. Bill Mott-trained stablemates Baeza and reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty are both pointing toward the nine-furlong test. They’re expected to face multiple Grade 1 winner White Abarrio and Dubai World Cup hero Magnitude in what shapes up as a championship-caliber field.
Familiar Rivalries Resume
Baeza brings extensive experience against elite competition, having faced Sovereignty in three major races last year—the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Jim Dandy Stakes. The McKinzie colt made his 2026 debut in the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 1, finishing third after spotting the field several lengths when the starting gate appeared to catch him unprepared.
“He didn’t break but he still almost got there. Another sixteenth of a mile and he would have gotten there,” Clay explained, whose Grandview Equine campaigns Baeza in partnership with C R K Stable. “I don’t think he lost a lot. He didn’t win the race, but we feel good enough about how he came out of it and how he’s doing that we’re going to jump in the big pond. That race is setting up to be something else.”
Exceptional Pedigree
Bred by Grandview Equine, Baeza enhanced his dam’s remarkable legacy by capturing last summer’s Pennsylvania Derby. He’s out of 2024 Broodmare of the Year Puca and is a half-brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch.
The 4-year-old has compiled a record of two wins from 10 career starts with earnings of $1,717,200. His most recent effort came after a layoff dating to his sixth-place finish in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
The Stephen Foster continues to build momentum as one of the summer’s premier races for older horses, with this year’s edition potentially offering a mid-season championship showdown among the division’s best.
