** UPDATE ** Originally scheduled for Saturday at Santa Anita Park, the Big Cap, along with three other graded stakes, will now be run on Sunday, March 3 due to a forecast calling for continuous rain Saturday.

Newgrange Heads Field for the 2024 Big Cap (G1)

Newgrange, Phil D'Amato's 5-year-old that is currently the top older horse on the local scene, heads a wide-open field of seven older horses going a mile and one quarter in the 87th running of the legendary Santa Anita Handicap on Sunday March 3.

D'Amato, 48, and a perennial leader on the Southern California training scene, will be seeking his first-ever win in the race that's often referred to as "The Granddaddy Of Them All."

A 2 1/4 length winner of the opening day Grade II San Antonio Stakes under Irad Ortiz, Jr. going a mile and one sixteenth on Dec. 26, Newgrange will be reunited with Victor Espinoza who lead him gate to wire in the Grade II San Pasqual at a mile and one eighth 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 in 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 a mile and one quarter for the second time in his career as he shoots for his third consecutive graded stakes win at the Classic Meet.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch, LLC, David Bernsen, LLC and Little Red Feather Racing, Newgrange will be seeking his first Grade I win on Sunday and his sixth overall graded stakes victory. With seven wins and four third place finishes from 13 starts, 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, with Dettori, was second, beaten a half length in a 6 ½ furlong allowance here Jan. 6 and was victorious three starts back at age three in the Grade III Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 4, 2023 and was a close second in the Grade III Sham on Jan. 8, 2023.

In what will be 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 be attempting 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, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, Newgate will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time as he seeks his second stakes victory. With two wins and four seconds from eight overall starts, 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, a winner of three out of his four starts, including his last two, will be stretching out off a hard-fought three quarter length allowance score going a mile and one sixteenth at Fairgrounds in New Orleans.

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 Fairgrounds and will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli on Sunday.

Feb 24 - Santa Anita is set to host four graded stakes next Sunday including the 87th running of the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GII San Felipe, a significant prep for both the GI Santa Anita Derby on April 6 and Kentucky Derby a month later.

The historic 1 ¼-mile Santa Anita Handicap, which was first run in 1935, attracted 12 nominees including the top three finishers in last month's GII San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles. Newgrange, trained by Phil D'Amato, won the San Pasqual in front-running fashion by a length over Newgate, who was making his second start off an 11-month layoff for trainer Bob Baffert. A half-length back of Newgate in third was Mixto for trainer Doug O'Neill.

According to the Santa Anita racing office, Newgrange, Newgate and Mixto are all expected in the Big Cap starting gate. Baffert is also possible to run GIII winner Reincarnate and Mr Fisk, who was fifth in the San Pasqual.

Other locals targeting the Big Cap are long-winded Salesman for trainer Richard Mandella, who has been off since winning the 1 5/8-mile GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance here Nov. 4, and Subsanador for trainer John Sadler.

The Big Cap is also likely to include multiple Eastern-based contenders. Trainer Brad Cox is slated to ship Highland Falls, a lightly raced 4-year-old Curlin colt who exits a second-level allowance win at Fair Grounds going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 13. Also, Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.is expected to send either O'Connor or Skippylongstocking, who both exit the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27. O'Connor was fifth in the Pegasus while Skippylongstocking was pulled up and did not finish.

In addition to the Big Cap and San Felipe, next Saturday's card will also include the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile and GII Buena Vista Stakes for older fillies and mares. Both are at a mile on turf. Nominations for all four graded stakes were released Friday.

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