Messier, already a serious Kentucky Derby contender, put an exclamation mark by his candidacy for this spring’s Run for the Roses with a record-setting victory in Sunday’s $200,000 Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

The son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, named after former NHL standout Mark Messier, turned in a Hall of Fame performance worthy of his namesake while stamping himself as a leading contender for, not only the Santa Anita Derby on April 9, but the major prize at Churchill Downs on May 7.

The victory gave trainer Bob Baffert and jockey John Velazquez a stakes double on the afternoon after they teamed up to win the Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies earlier on the nine-race card with Adare Manor.

Not only was Messier’s stakes winning-margin of 15 lengths eye-catching, but he ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89 in a gate-to-wire tour de force, a very serious time over a deep race track that hasn’t been producing many of them this meet.

“We thought he was going to do that at Los Alamitos (when he finished second behind Slow Down Andy in the Los Alamitos Futurity), but it didn’t happen,” Baffert said during a telephone interview. “Sometimes it’s not their day, but coming in (to the Lewis) he looked like he was ready to be the horse I thought he always was.

“That (final time) was a pretty serious time. When they go 42 and change, that’s a really good one. That’s what we live for is good horses like that.”

Baffert’s won four consecutive runnings of the Lewis and a record 10 overall, dating back to his first victory with General Challenge in 1999.

The Lewis winner normally would collect 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, but Baffert’s horses are banned from the Derby for the next two years, pending hearings and litigation. The Hall of Fame trainer has repeatedly said he’s only concerned about getting his horses ready to run and keeping them healthy.

After Messier won the Grade III Bob Hope Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 14, beating another Kentucky Derby hopeful, Forbidden Kingdom, in the process, Baffert decided to add blinkers for the Los Alamitos Futurity. He removed them Sunday, but he didn’t think that decision had much to do with the way Messier ran in the Lewis as the 3-5 favorite.

“My reasoning was, in case he didn’t break (from the No. 1 post), if he got behind horses he could get a little rank,” he said. “He got rank last time and I wanted him to relax. He’s a smart horse, he’s got a good mind on him.”

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Said Velazquez of his front-running tactics: “I’m in post one and I don’t want to give the lead to them in front of me. Then they slow it down in front of my face and I can’t get out of there, so I asked Bob, ‘Bob, I’m going to come out running just to the first turn. I’m not going to chase them, but I’m going to let him get his legs underneath of him. If they want to go faster, they can go faster and I don’t have to be on his mouth.’ He said, ‘No, do whatever you need to do.’”

The victory was arguably the most impressive of this year’s Kentucky Derby preps to date nationwide, and now Baffert has to decide if he’ll keep Messier home and prepare for the Santa Anita Derby or ship him elsewhere. He’s got a barn full of Derby contenders and a lot of decisions to make.

“It depends on my other horses to see how (they are),” he said. “We have always gone with whoever is doing well that week gets on a plane or stays here. Right now, we will just enjoy this and I’m just happy to have a horse like this in my barn.”

Las Virgenes Stakes

Adare Manor, the 2-5 favorite, followed up her 12-length maiden victory at Santa Anita on Jan. 7 with a 13-length romp in the $200,000 Grade III stakes for 3-year-old fillies that serves as a prep for the Santa Anita Oaks (April 9) and Kentucky Oaks (May 6).

The daughter of Uncle Mo tracked pacesetter Gracelund Gray from second through the opening quarter of 22.72 in her stakes debut, took the lead at the half-mile pole and then drew away from the other three overmatched fillies.

The victory was Adare Manor’s second in four starts and gave Baffert his record sixth win in a race that has produced such winners recently as Bellafina, Unique Bella, Songbird and Beholder.

Queen of Thorns, the 5-2 second choice, finished second. Final time for the 1 mile was 1:37.11.