Express Train to Defend San Pasqual Title

Owners Lee and Susan Searing and trainer John Shirreffs will attempt to win their third consecutive San Pasqual Stakes (G2), slated for Feb. 5 at Santa Anita Park. Express Train  could win back-to-back runnings of the prep for the March 5 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), following the Searings' Midcourt , who won the 2020 San Pasqual.

Express Train is entered against five others in the 1 1/8-mile San Pasqual, none of whom tried him in the 2021 edition. Express Train dominated last year, winning by 3 1/4 lengths. Both Midcourt and Express Train parlayed their San Pasqual victories into good efforts in the Santa Anita Handicap. 

Midcourt finished third, behind Combatant   and Multiplier , in the 2020 Big 'Cap. The next year, Express Train ran second, by just a half-length, to Idol . Perhaps this year Express Train can win both trophies for the Searings, who race in the name of C R K Stable.

Oddly enough, it is harder to win back-to-back editions of the San Pasqual than to complete the San Pasqual/Santa Anita Handicap double, at least recently. Accelerate   in 2018 is the last horse to win both races the same year. Only two horses have won consecutive editions of the San Pasqual: Kings Favor  in 1968-69 and Olden Times  in 1963-64. Moonrush  won it twice, in 1951 (when he also won the Big 'Cap) and 1953.

Express Train, who will be ridden by Victor Espinoza from post 2, is going for his fourth lifetime graded win. The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Union Rags   also captured last year's San Diego Handicap (G2) before running unplaced in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) and third in the Awesome Again Stakes (G1).

On Santa Anita's opening day of the current meeting, Dec. 26, Express Train, with Espinoza aboard for the first time, scored by a nose in the San Antonio Stakes (G2) over Hot Rod Charlie , who was not nominated to the San Pasqual.

"He's a really good horse when he is a stalker and gets to the outside," said Lee Searing after the San Antonio victory. "Today finally he got it at the end there."

On the same card as the San Antonio, Law Professor  won the Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes (G2), a race originally carded for the turf but moved to the dirt. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Constitution   will be bidding for his third consecutive win. Michael McCarthy trains Law Professor for owner/breeder Twin Creeks Racing Stables, and McCarthy named Juan Hernandez to ride from post 6.

Bob Baffert has entered Eight Rings  (John Velazquez, post 4) and Spielberg  (Flavien Prat, post 5). Both graded stakes winners are owned by large partnerships, with Madaket Stables, SF Racing, and Starlight Racing having interests in each. Eight Rings, a 5-year-old son of Empire Maker , won the 2019 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) as a 2-year-old. Four-year-old Spielberg, like Express Train a son of Union Rags, at 2 won the 2020 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).

Kiss Today Goodbye  (Abel Cedillo, post 1) and American Theorem  (Mike Smith, post 3) round out the field. Kiss Today Goodbye, a 5-year-old son of Cairo Prince  , won the 2020 San Antonio. American Theorem, a 5-year-old son of American Pharoah  , ran second to Eight Rings in the American Pharoah by six lengths.

Entries: San Pasqual S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, February 05, 2022, Race 8

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Kiss Today Goodbye (KY)	Abel Cedillo	120	J. Eric Kruljac	15/1
2	2Express Train (KY)	Victor Espinoza	124	John A. Shirreffs	2/1
3	3American Theorem (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	George Papaprodromou	6/1
4	4Eight Rings (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Bob Baffert	3/1
5	5Spielberg (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Bob Baffert	7/2
6	6Law Professor (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Michael W. McCarthy	5/2