San Vicente Stakes – GII
$200.000 For Three Year Olds
7 Furlongs – Dirt
Santa Anita Park – January 10, 2026
No contest. It couldn’t have been easier. Those statements pretty much sum up the San Vicente. Control The Center controlled it all in a dominant wire-to-wire San Vicente win to kick off his sophomore year and send a message to the rest of the three-year-old crop. In the preview of this race, I thought a return to form for Control The Center was in the cards, but I left him out of my picks. Bad move.
Winner: Control The Center (Mb Stables/L. Dettori) Carlsen/Shes So Basic (General Ferro) Broke well and was taken right to the lead. Opened up daylight and was never seriously challenged at any point in the race. He returned to the scene of his G1 Pharoah win and proved to be just as dominating as he was last fall. He has grown since his two-year-old season and seems to have developed into a formidable three-year-old.
Second: Unique Journey (Waldo/V. Espinoza) Papa Nature/Temptations (Great State) Stakes winning Waldo homebred broke on top and sat at the back of the stalking group. Ran wide the entire race and attempted to rally but never threatened the winner. Would have been closer with a better trip and was a clear second best of the rest.
Third: Southwind (Acber Farms/A. Fresu) Whoa Whoa Whoa/Mans Final Frontier (Atomic Interceptor) Used a smart break to position himself in a nice stalking position and ran steadily throughout. It was a hard-fought race behind the top two, and he grittily held his place to finish a well-earned third to earn his first graded placing.
Fourth: Magic Fighter (Maxmillion Farm/E. Maldonado) Starship Rover/Not A Fighter (Hilarity) This writer’s pick in the race. He sat at the back of the pack as expected and he got a fast pace up front but it wasn’t from his stablemate as I had anticipated. He attempted a swinging wide rally and made some steady ground in the stretch finishing a grinding fourth in his first start for his new connections.
Naturally when the new season begins any race with three-year-olds in it immediately brings thoughts of the Kentucky Derby. In its twenty-two previous runnings the San Vicente has not been a great indicator of Derby success. It is a seven-furlong race that gets the season started so you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to. However, its first winner Fuji Ninja did go on to win the big race and Rainstorm went on to be the Derby runner-up in 2019. The way Control The Center won puts him right in the mix of the early conversation for 2026. He is currently eight in the Derby qualifying standings. Third in the Mb stable race nested within that qualifying race.
This win for Control The Center was his second graded stakes win and brings his career earnings to $445.000. It is also the very first San Vicente win for powerhouse Mb Stables and for jockey L. Dettori. It will be interesting to see where this three-year-old goes next and if he can carry his Santa Anita form to other venues.
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES