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Separated by less than a length in two stakes at Hollywood Park last fall, Liaison and Rousing Sermon will renew acquaintance in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, a 1 1/16-mile heat which marks the season debut for both classic contenders.

Liaison, trained by Bob Baffert, has gotten the better of the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Rousing Sermon thus far. Liaison was a half-length to the good of his rival in the Real Quiet on November 12, but the margin was only a neck when they last met in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity on December 17.

Both colts have winning form over the Santa Anita strip. Liaison broke his maiden going seven furlongs in his race prior to the Real Quiet, while Rousing Sermon was a 2 1/4-length winner of the California Cup Juvenile in late October.

Three CashCall Futurity also-rans have joined the Lewis lineup. Sky Kingdom, fourth in the Futurity, came back to dominate allowance foes by 4 1/2 lengths for Baffert last month, while fifth-placer Empire Way has not raced since the Hollywood feature. Groovin' Solo, who was pulled up in the Futurity after his rein broke, won a one-mile maiden event on December 30 and adds blinkers for the Lewis.

Isn't He Clever, whose three career stakes wins have occurred at Zia Park and Sunland Park, invades from New Mexico for trainer Henry Dominguez. A daylight winner of the Riley Allison Futurity last time, the gelding was a narrowly beaten second in the Clever Trevor at Remington Park in his only defeat.

Last-out Eddie Logan winner Chips All In, a son of Group 1 Epsom Derby winner North Light, captured the Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park in his only previous start on dirt. The Lewis field is completed by I'll Have Another, the Grade 2 Best Pal runner-up who's been sidelined since a wide-trip sixth in the Grade 1 Hopeful on Labor Day.

The Saturday program at Santa Anita also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Strub for four-year-olds at nine furlongs, and the Grade 2, $150,000 Arcadia for older horses at one mile on the turf. Both should have prohibitive favorites: Tapizar in the Strub and Mr. Commons in the Arcadia.

Tapizar enters off a comfortable wire-to-wire score in the Grade 2 San Fernando over 1 1/16 miles, and should prove tough to catch again if allowed an easy lead. His main rival for early supremacy might be Ultimate Eagle, upset winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby last fall. Third in the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort last time, which ended a four-race winning streak, the colt is by 2002 Strub winner Mizzen Mast.

Other notables in the Strub include Balladry and Grade 2 winner Prayer for Relief, second and third, respectively, in the San Fernando; Jaycito, who's raced sporadically since winning the Grade 1 Norfolk in 2010; and the Grade 1-placed Clubhouse Ride, who was last seen running second to Tapizar in the Grade 3 Sham more than a year ago.

Mr. Commons, a 3 1/4-length winner of the Sir Beaufort, will break outside his seven rivals in the Arcadia. The Artie Schiller colt was a respectable second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile and Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile last fall against older rivals, and a good fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Leading the opposition is the regally-bred Pathfork, Ireland's leading juvenile colt in 2010 when he swept three races including the Group 1 National and Group 1 Futurity at The Curragh. He made just one start last season, finishing seventh to the brilliant Frankel in the Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket.

Pathfork hails from an illustrious family that has produced the likes of champion sprinter Aldebaran; European champions Spinning World, Sagara and Sadex; and noted Grade/Group 1 winners Denon, Chimes of Freedom and Good Journey. Broodmares of the Year Best in Show and Better Than Honour also hail from this line.

John Sadler now trains Pathfork.

Others of note in the field are multiple Grade 2-placed stakes winner Calimonco and the Grade 1 veteran M One Rifle, who makes his turf debut in the Arcadia.

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