Santa Anita Park unveiled a promising new talent Friday as Desert Gate dominated his racing debut with a commanding 2 1/4-length victory in a maiden special weight contest.
The 2-year-old colt by Omaha Beach tracked the early pacesetter before accelerating impressively in the stretch to complete the five-furlong sprint in :57.35 over a fast track.
Trained by Bob Baffert for the ownership team of Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Desert Gate showed professional composure while facing just three rivals in his first career start.
The Kentucky-bred colt settled comfortably off the pace set by Acknowledgemeplz before making his move around the far turn. The pair quickly separated themselves from the other two entries before Desert Gate found another gear entering the stretch.
“He moved rather effortlessly to the outside,” noted track observers as the colt powered away down the lane to secure his maiden victory.
Desert Gate returned $2.80 as the heavy favorite and earned $36,000 for the win.
The promising juvenile is out of Theogony, a Canadian stakes winner who amassed $404,544 in career earnings. His dam has a yearling colt by Medaglia d’Oro and was bred back to that same sire for the current season.
Desert Gate’s connections acquired him for $260,000 at the 2025 OBS March sale after he previously sold for $100,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September and $125,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November.
The victory continues the promising start for the progeny of Omaha Beach, who stands at Spendthrift Farm.
DESERT GATE ($2.80) debuts successfully under @JJHernandezS19 in @santaanitapark race 2. The two-year-old by @spendthriftfarm's Omaha Beach is trained by @BobBaffert.
Play the next 👉 https://t.co/7I3M5l53AE pic.twitter.com/1GqUICnIHG
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing)
DESERT GATE ($2.80) debuts successfully under June 13, 2025
