Express Train closes fast to win Santa Anita's San Pasqual
C R K Stable's Express Train, a well-regarded 2-year-old of 2019 who was derailed by injury, broke through with a first career stakes win under Juan Hernandez on Saturday in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Sent off the 5-2 second choice in a five-horse field, Express Train stalked the pace along the inside before angling out for racing room at the top of the stretch and blowing past the field to win by 3 1/4 lengths. Tizamagician held for second after setting fractions of 23:84, 48:74 and 1:13.70 for six furlongs while Idol – the even-money favorite following a narrow loss in the Dec. 26 San Anontio Malibu (G2) in his stakes debut – closed belatedly to get third.
Eastern invader King Guillermo folded on the second turn and finished some 22 lengths back in last. Winning time was 1:52.13 for 1 1/8 miles on a track labeled as good. Express Train paid $7.20 while providing trainer John Shirreffs with a second straight San Pasqual win following last year's victory with Midcourt.
“The boss, Mr. Shirreffs, just told me to have a good trip," Hernandez said. "There were three horses that tried to go to the lead and my horse relaxed pretty well behind them…I was just waiting to (get into) the stretch to let him run, that’s what (he) did. Around the turn before the stretch, I checked, I went outside and I was clear and he started running again.
Express Train was a smashing 14-length maiden winner at Del Mar in the summer of 2019. After running fourth in the American Pharoah (G1) in his next start, the son of Union Rags suffered an injury that sidelined him almost 11 months.
Express Train returned this past August with an allowance win at Del Mar and, after a failed turf experiment in the Oct. 18 Twilight Derby (G2), came back to be a solid second to Charlatan in the seven-furlong Malibu (G1).
"He's a really nice horse," said Hernandez, who rode Express Train for the first time in the Malibu. "He loves going short and going long. You can do whatever you want with him."
A $500,000 auction purchase, Express Train improves his record to 8: 3-3-0 with earnings of $293,300. A date in the $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) going 1 1/4-miles on March 6 is likely next.
“We knew there was plenty of speed in the race and it worked out fine,” said Shirreffs. “Juan fits this horse very well, show me a horse that he doesn’t fit. When you speak to him, he exudes confidence. He’s a rider. We’ll stay home and run in the Big ’Cap."