Although he appeared beaten at the rail with a furlong to run, Kaleem Shah, Inc.’s Dortmund called upon his considerable class and courage to defeat rival Firing Line by a head in Saturday’s Grade III, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita, an important steppingstone to the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Martin Garcia, the imposing chestnut colt by 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown was collared by Firing Line midway around the far turn and was a half length behind leaving the eighth pole en route to covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.20.

Heavily favored at 3-5 in a field of five Derby hopefuls, Dortmund, a Kentucky-bred colt who is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Our Josephina, paid $3.20, $2.10 and $2.10. Dortmund, who also defeated Firing Line by just a head in the Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 20, picked up $90,000 for the win and now has earnings of $449,400.