Locked wins by record 8 1/2 lengths in Santa Anita Handicap

It was a successful raiding party for eastern-based shipper Locked on Saturday at Santa Anita.

The odds-on favorite romped to an 8 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap going 1 1/4 miles. The winning margin was the largest in the history of the Big ’Cap, which was run first in 1935.

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With Jose Ortiz aboard for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Locked (3-5) didn’t break particularly well but was hustled up to be in about mid-pack first time past the finish line. He then was caught some five wide on the first turn as Mirahmadi and jockey Juan Hernandez seized the lead.

Mirahmadi (7-1) carved fractions of 23.46, 47.24 and 1:11.91 for six furlongs with Midnight Mammoth and Express Train (12-1), the 2022 Big ’Cap winner, tracking the leader. Locked, meanwhile, was kept in the clear while racing on the outside.

As the field reached the second turn, Mirahmadi began to falter. He ultimately finished last in the eight-horse field. Express Train seized the lead under Hector Berrios and looked to be going comfortably when reaching the quarter pole in 1:36.44.

At that point Locked, who was racing with blinkers for the first time, began to make an outside rally. He swept past Express Train entering the stretch and extended his lead all the way to the wire, winning with a time of 2:01.71. Express Train held second by 3 3/4 lengths over Hit Show (2-1) with Midnight Mammoth (62-1) completing the superfecta.

“I talked to Todd, and he told me to be aggressive out of the gate and put him as close as I can, and the horse will do the rest,” Ortiz said of the winner. “The horse has a nice stride. When he gets into the stride, he covers a lot of ground.”

Locked’s winning margin bested the previous record of 7 3/4 lengths set by Game On Dude in 2013.

This was eastern-based Ortiz’s first win in the Big ’Cap.

“I feel great to win a race like this with a horse like Locked. He is unbelievable,” said Ortiz, who in 2017 won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding jockey. “I really loved him since he was a 2-year-old. I’m very happy for the owners and Todd. I appreciate the opportunity to ride him back today.”

Locked is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm. Eclipse was co-owns Saturday’s San Felipe (G2) winner Journalism.

“It is just a huge honor to be here with a horse like Locked,” Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners said. “I grew up coming to Santa Anita with my parents, and to win a race like the Big ’Cap is what dreams are made of. We have had a huge day.”

Locked improved to 8: 5-1-2 with $1,661,650 in earnings. Most recently the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt rallied to be second in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. That came after winning the Cigar Mile (G2) in December at Aqueduct. As a 2-year-old Locked won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland before a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.

Locked paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10. Express Train, trained by John Shirreffs, returned $7.00 and $3.40. Hit Show, ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Brad Cox, paid $2.20.