After finishing second by a head in last year's Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, eastern invader Warrant will try and do one better Saturday in the 86th running of the Big 'Cap.
Trained by two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, Warrant arrived at Santa Anita on Tuesday from Fair Grounds in New Orleans where he is based. The 5-year-old horse by Constitution got his first feel for the Santa Anita main track on Thursday with an open gallop.
“He's settled in, he trained this morning and is doing well,” Cox said by phone from New Orleans Thursday morning.
In last year's 1 ¼-mile Big 'Cap, Warrant pressed the pace under Flavien Prat before poking a head in front at the quarter pole. In the stretch drive, Warrant was confronted on his outside by Express Train and the pair dueled to the wire with Express Train coming out the narrow winner under Victor Espinoza.
“He ran well and that was a very encouraging effort,” Cox said. “All winter we've had the mindset to bring him back to California.”
Warrant prepped for his second Big Cap with an allowance win at Fair Grounds on Jan. 26. That effort followed almost seven months on the sidelines, which Cox said was the result of him “just being a little tired” the second half of the season. Prior to last year's Big Cap, Warrant was third in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 22.
“He's pretty much on the same pattern as last year,” Cox said. “Obviously last year he prepped in a stakes, but we wanted to get one run in him and I thought that allowance went well.”
Warrant, the 4-1 co-second choice on the morning line, will again have Prat in the irons for this year's Big Cap. They will break from post six in a 12-horse field.
“Hopefully we can do even better this year,” Cox said.
The Santa Anita Handicap goes as the 12th and final race on Saturday's card with an approximate post time of 5:30.
The field in post position order:
- There Goes Harvard, Kazushi Kimura (12-1);
- Parnelli, Victor Espinoza (20-1);
- Newgrange, Frankie Dettori (6-1);
- Stilleto Boy, Kent Desormeaux (5-1);
- Defunded, Juan Hernandez (7-2);
- Warrant, Flavien Prat (4-1);
- Heywoods Beach, Ramon Vazquez (20-1);
- Hopper, Mike Smith (8-1);
- Scarlet Fusion, Edwin Maldonado (12-1);
- Tisquantum, Hector Berrios (30-1);
- Proxy, John Velazquez (4-1).
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