New millionaire Express Train wins a thriller in the Big 'Cap

Arcadia, Calif.

Express Train achieved a milestone victory on multiple fronts Saturday when gamely fending off eastern invader Warrant by a head to win the Grade 1, $650,000 Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita.

With a third-straight victory under Victor Espinoza, Express Train earned his first Grade 1 win while also avenging a half-length defeat in last year’s Big ’Cap. Additionally, the $390,000 winner’s share of the purse made him racing’s newest millionaire, doing so for C R K Racing.

Express Train also provided John Shirreffs with a milestone of his own. Named this week as a finalist for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Shirreffs has been training in Southern California since the mid-1970s. He had never won the Santa Anita Handicap. That changed when Express Train (1-1) crossed the wire at 2:03.22 to earn his first victory going 1 1/4 miles.

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When asked if winning his first Big ’Cap was what he had envisioned, Shirreffs replied, “Even more so.

“This is amazing. I’m thrilled and this is so exciting. I’m beyond words, really. This is a dream I’ve always had since I was a kid.”

Express Train was kept in the clear throughout by Espinoza when racing about three-wide when tracking fractions of 23.00, 45.97 and 1:11.39 set first by Spielberg and then long shot American Theorem.

On the second turn, with the mile split reached in 1:37.20, Express Train had ranged up to challenge new leader Warrant (4-1) and looked poised to draw off.

“I thought he was going to get away,” Shirreffs said. “But Warrant kept battling.”

Espinoza indicated Express Train may have eased up momentarily when seizing the lead at the top of the stretch.

“He’s like that sometimes when he’s in front, and he knows he has it,” said Espinoza, who won the Big ’Cap for the third time. “He was just giving me a hard time to pump up my muscles.”

Express Train returned $4.20 for his third-straight victory at the Santa Anita meet. He previously bested Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie in the San Antonio (G2) on opening day on Dec. 26 and then came back to win the San Pasqual (G2) on Feb. 5.

Following Warrant across the wire were Stilleto Boy (2-1) and Spielberg (20-1).

Shirreffs said he would wait about a week before deciding what's next for Express Train.

"He won the San Pasqual, he won the San Antonio, and now he's won the Santa Anita Handicap. It's not easy to run in all three of those races much less win them," he said. "He's a tough son of a gun. We'll see how he's doing and go from there."

A 5-year-old horse by Union Rags, Express Train improved his record to 17: 7-4-3 with earnings of $1,325,800.

The on-track crowd on a chilly Southern California day was 12,187. The total mutuel handle was $18,329,349.19.