Newgrange Looks for Third Consecutive Graded Win

Mother Nature has already played an outsized role in this year's Santa Anita Handicap (G1). When one of the many rainstorms that have pelted California this winter set its sights on March 2, Santa Anita Park management, in consultation with other industry stakeholders, decided to move the scheduled Saturday stakes, including the Big 'Cap, to March 3.

The 1 1/4-mile race pits the first three finishers of the Jan 27 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) against four new shooters. The newbies consist of a local, a shipper from Louisiana, and two foreign-breds now based in Southern California. 

The only change as of Feb. 29 was to the rider of the Louisiana horse, Highland Falls . Trainer Brad Cox originally named Umberto Rispoli on Highland Falls for March 2, but was able to put the colt's regular rider, Florent Geroux, aboard when the race was moved to March 3.

A 4-year-old son of Curlin  , Highland Falls, who drew post 2, has yet to try stakes company, but he has won three of his four lifetime starts, with one third. He most recently captured a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming race at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Jan. 13. 

Highland Falls will face much more experienced competition here, including Newgrange , who sparkled in capturing the 1 1/8-mile San Pasqual. Leading throughout, Newgrange defeated Newgate  by a length, with Mixto  another three-quarters of a length back in third. All three are returning for the Big 'Cap.

Trainer Phil D'Amato ran Newgrange in the San Pasqual instead of shipping to Florida for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) to keep travel to a minimum prior to a possible trip to Dubai for the March 30 Dubai World Cup (G1).

"It kind of made more sense," D'Amato said after the San Pasqual. "Maybe you have more oomph going into a race like that with this horse."

Newgrange had plenty of oomph in the San Pasqual and could repeat that in the Big 'Cap. A win here would give the 5-year-old son of Violence   three consecutive graded wins at the current meeting, beginning with the San Antonio Stakes (G2) Dec. 26. Victor Espinoza rode Newgrange for the first time in the San Pasqual and returns in post 7.

Mixto also competed in both the San Antonio and San Pasqual, running second and third, respectively. A 4-year-old son of Good Magic  , Mixto didn't break his maiden until his seventh start, Nov. 17. But trainer Doug O'Neill thought enough of the colt to run him in the 2022 Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Bob Hope Stakes (G3). Antonio Fresu, who piloted Mixto in his maiden win and in the San Antonio and San Pasqual, will be back aboard from post 3.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a five-time winner of the Big 'Cap, has entered two horses: Newgate and Reincarnate . 

As a 3-year-old last year, Newgate, a son of Into Mischief  , won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and ran second in the Sham Stakes (G3), with Frankie Dettori up both times. Dettori piloted Newgate to a second in a Jan. 6 allowance optional claimer, but missed the San Pasqual when competing on the Pegasus World Cup card. Baffert puts Dettori back on Newgate from post 5.

Reincarnate, like Mixto a 4-year-old son of Good Magic, defeated Newgate in winning last year's Sham and later in the season added the Los Alamitos Derby. He will be making his first start since Nov. 4, when he finished ninth in the Twilight Derby (G2T) after a rough trip. Reincarnate drew the rail and will be ridden by Juan Hernandez.

Should Salesman  win the Big 'Cap, he would become the first 7-year-old to capture the race since Game On Dude  in 2014 and the first Irish-bred since Heatseeker  in 2008. Salesman's trainer, Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, has won the race three times. Flavien Prat is set to ride from post 4.

A son of superstar European sire Dubawi , Salesman spent his first four seasons racing in France while trained by Andre Fabre. The gelding has started four times for Mandella, most recently winning the 1 5/8-mile Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) on the second day of last year's Breeders' Cup card at Santa Anita.

Subsanador  will be making just his second United States start. The 5-year-old son of the Distorted Humor  stallion Fortify  won seven of 12 starts in his native Argentina, three of them group 1 events. Trained in this country by John Sadler, Subsanador ran fourth in his U.S. debut, the San Antonio, behind Newgrange, Mixto, and Brickyard Ride . Sadler has named Hector Berrios to ride Subsanador from post 6.