Santa Anita: Newgrange leads competitive field in Big ’Cap
Currently the top older horse on the local scene, Phil D’Amato’s 5-year-old Newgrange leads a wide-open field of seven older horses going 1 1/4 miles in the 87th running of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on Sunday.
D’Amato, 48 and a perennial leader on the Southern California training scene, will be seeking his first win in the race.
Originally scheduled for Saturday, the Big Cap, along with three other graded stakes, will be run on Sunday because of a forecast of continuous rain Saturday.
A 2 1/4-length winner of the opening-day San Antonio Stakes (G2) under Irad Ortiz Jr. going 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 26, Newgrange will be reunited with Victor Espinoza, who lead him gate to wire in the San Pasqual (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 27, winning by one length in a dominant performance.
A full horse by Violence out of the Empire Maker mare Bella Chianti, Newgrange posted a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form for the San Antonio and put up a 97 Beyer in the San Pasqual.
A well-beaten seventh in last year’s Big Cap, Newgrange appears to be a vastly improved horse who will be trying 1 1/14 miles for the second time in his career as he shoots for his third consecutive graded-stakes win at the meet.
Owned by Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen and Little Red Feather Racing, Newgrange will be seeking his first Grade 1 win on Sunday and his sixth graded-stakes victory. With a record of 13: 7-0-4, he has earnings of $1,007,634.
Bob Baffert’s Newgate, who was second by one length to Newgrange in the San Pasqual, is the logical second choice in the Big Cap with Frankie Dettori getting back aboard. The 8-5 favorite in the San Pasqual with Joel Rosario, Newgate was second with Dettori, beaten a half length in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance at Santa Anita on Jan. 6. He also victorious three starts back at age 3 in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) on Feb. 4, 2023, and was a close second in the Sham (G3) on Jan. 8, 2023.
In his third start off a long layoff, Newgate could be sitting on an A-list performance. A 4-year-old colt by Into Mischief out of the Majestic Warrior mare Majestic Presence, Newgate and stablemate Mr Fisk will attempt to provide Baffert with his sixth Big Cap win, which would put him second behind Charlie Whittingham’s nine, on the all-time Big Cap win list.
Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables et al, Newgate will try 1 1/14 miles for the first time as he seeks his second stakes victory. With a record of 8: 2-4-0, Newgate has earnings of $295,775.
Two-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Brad Cox has entered lightly raced Highland Falls, who looms dangerous as an up-and-coming 4-year-old. A Godolphin homebred colt by Curlin out of the Awesome Again mare Round Pond, Highland Falls is a winner of three of his four starts, including his last two. He will stretch out off a hard-fought 3/4-length allowance score going 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds.
A first-out maiden winner going one mile at Kentucky’s Ellis Park on Aug. 26, Highland Falls, who has earnings of $158,660, is based at Fair Grounds and will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli for the first time on Sunday.