Pletcher appreciates 1st Big 'Cap victory with Locked

Locked’s powerhouse performance in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap was Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s first victory in the historic Big ‘Cap. Although Pletcher has long maintained his star-studded stable in the east, he also has plenty of history on the Southern California circuit.

“It was a terrific win,” Pletcher said by phone from Florida Sunday morning. "I spent time in California in my early years. My dad (Jake Pletcher) trained there, and I worked as an assistant for Henry Moreno and Charlie Whittingham. Those are legends of the game. So to win a race like the Big 'Cap was pretty special.”

Locked, the 3-5 favorite, won the 1 1/4-mile Big ‘Cap by 8 1/2 lengths under Jose Ortiz. It was the largest winning margin in the history of the race, which dates to 1935. Additionally, Locked’s winning time of 2:01.71 earned a whopping 109 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

“It was wonderful performance,” Pletcher said.

The Big 'Cap was Locked’s second Grade 1 win and upped his record to 8: 5-1-2 with $1,661,650 in earnings. He is slated to return to Pletcher’s base in South Florida on Tuesday.

Locked, a 4-year-old Gun Runner colt, could make a return trip to Santa Anita later this year. Pletcher said he could come west again in the fall for a tilt in the California Crown (G1) prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which this year is at Del Mar.

“It’s possible. Obviously, the goal is to get to the Breeders’ Cup Classic and we’ll keep all our options open,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher has won the Eclipse Award eight times as the nation’s outstanding trainer. Pletcher has won 5,822 races, and his $500,511,004 in career earnings is the most by a North American-based trainer. He was inducted into the racing Hall of Fame in 2022.