The biggest race of early 2025 for older horses in California will feature a pair of heavy hitters from out of state.
Locked and Hit Show, both winners at the Grade II level back east, were assigned co-highweight of 124 pounds in a nine-horse field entered Monday for Saturday’s $300,000, Grade I Santa Anita Handicap.
Locked, a 4-year-old to be ridden by Jose Ortiz for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, won the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct in December and finished second to White Abarrio in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in January. Hit Show, a 5-year-old with Flavien Prat aboard for Brad Cox, won the Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs in September during a current run of four stakes wins in five starts.
The last horse to ship in and win the Santa Anita Handicap, a 1 1/4-mile race for 4-year-olds and up, was Shaman Ghost for trainer Jimmy Jerkens in 2017. Shaman Ghost was a 6-5 favorite after finishing second in the Pegasus in his previous start.
Here’s the lineup, from the rail out, for the 88th Big ’Cap, the 10th race on a Saturday program that starts at noon: Express Train (Hector Berrios riding), 120 pounds; New King (Mike Smith), 115; Hit Show; JB Strikes Back (Antonio Fresu), 119; Mirahmadi (Juan Hernandez), 116; Katonah (Tiago Pereira), 121; Locked; Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso), 116, and Tarantino (Edwin Maldonado), 118.
In Saturday’s $300,000, Grade II San Felipe Stakes, for 3-year-olds aiming for the April 5 Santa Anita Derby, Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism will challenge Bob Baffert-trained Barnes, Rodriguez and Mellencamp.
Here’s the field of six entered Monday, from the inside out, for the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, the eighth race at Santa Anita on Saturday: Mellencamp (Smith); Journalism (Umberto Rispoli); Barnes (Hernandez); Rodriguez (Prat); Smooth Cruisein (Ricardo Gonzalez) and Berlin Wall (Pereira).