Robert B. Lewis Stakes odds, prediction 2022: Horse racing insider who nailed Kentucky Derby reveals picks

SportsLine's Michelle Yu revealed her Robert B. Lewis Stakes 2022 predictions, best bets for Santa Anita Park

By CBS Sports Staff

Feb 6, 2022 at 9:32 am ET • 2 min read

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Trainer Bob Baffert can extend his record number of wins in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes when he saddles two horses in the 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita Park. The 69-year-old Baffert has won the race nine times, including the last three years with Medina Spirit (2021), Thousand Words ('20) and Mucho Gusto ('19). He will attempt to win No. 10 with Messier and Wharton. Messier is the 6-5 favorite in the 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes odds, while Wharton is 4-1 in the five-horse 2022 Robert B. Lewis field.

Post time for the $200,000 Robert B. Stakes 2022 is 7:12 p.m. ET. With five inexperienced three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Sunday, you'll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Robert B. Lewis picks.

Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

She has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders' Cup, she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. Last year in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit as the winner at 12-1. And last month, her SportsLine picks hit the exacta in the Sham Stakes for $156.

Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes field, made her picks and constructed her bets. You can only see them here.

Top 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes predictions

One surprise: Yu's top pick is not Messier, even though Baffert has won the race nine times. A $470,000 purchase two years ago, Messier has two wins and two seconds in four career starts. He is coming off a second place finish in the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 11.

That was his first start around two turns, and he will race around two turns again on Sunday. "His two-turn debut was disappointing when he settled for second," Yu told SportsLine. "At first, I wanted to say he was wide the whole way, but the winner went wider."

How to make 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes picks

Yu's top pick is a horse who was "on cruise control with ears up" in his last race. She is including this horse in her 2022 Robert B. Lewis Stakes bets, and so should you. She's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.

So what horse wins the Robert B. Lewis Stakes 2022? What horse with plenty of talent is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Check out the latest Robert B. Lewis odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks.