2026 San Felipe Stakes odds, predictions, horses, time: Picks from expert who hit Kentucky Derby exacta

The Grade 1-winning Brant can establish himself as a leading Kentucky Derby contender when he leaves the starting gate in the 2026 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Bob Baffert, Brant has two wins in three starts. But he has not raced since a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Halloween. For Saturday. Brant is the 1-1 morning-line favorite in the 2026 San Felipe Stakes odds. 

So Happy (2-1), Potente (9-2), Secured Freedom (8-1) and Start the Ride (12-1) round out the top five on the odds board in the 2026 San Felipe Stakes field of seven horses. Post time for the San Felipe Stakes 2026 is 6:41 p.m. ET. Before making any 2026 San Felipe Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing analyst Michelle Yu. 

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Yu 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. Anyone who has followed her on horse racing betting sites could be way up. 

Now, with the 2026 San Felipe Stakes approaching and horse racing odds on the board, Yu is sharing her 2026 San Felipe Stakes betting picks and 2026 San Felipe Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2026 San Felipe Stakes predictions

One of Yu's surprising 2026 San Felipe Stakes picks: She is fading one of the favorites, So Happy (2-1), as her top horse. Despite winning his first two races, Yu sees a better option.

"The San Vicente Stakes winner takes the two-sprints-to-a-route angle for his next step," Yu said. "He was a much-the-best winner in his last, going seven furlongs, and didn't look fully tapped. His recent drill time matched Brant's, but visually there was no comparison. In that workout So Happy sat outside his accomplished stablemate, but that horse waited for him to catch up and then So Happy never could quite go by. Jockey Mike Smith was on for the work and he wasn't asking very hard, but this horse is more of a grinder than a sparkler." See who to back at SportsLine, and you can make bets at TwinSpires here with the promo code CBSSPORTS:

How to make 2026 San Felipe Stakes picks, bets

Yu's top pick is a horse who is "bigger and stronger" than he was last year. She also is high on a longshot who will "certainly benefit from the pace up front" on Saturday. Yu is sharing which horse it is, along with her entire projected 2026 San Felipe Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the San Felipe Stakes 2026, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 San Felipe Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the San Felipe Stakes.

2026 San Felipe Stakes odds