Downsized Big 'Cap Still Part of Cherished History

A good memory can be both a blessing and a curse. This racing fan would not want to forget the thrill of bearing witness to such winners of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) as Cougar II, Affirmed, Vigors, John Henry, Best Pal, Free House, Tiznow, Lava Man, and Shared Belief. There are few pastimes more satisfying than the confluence of fine horses and a meaningful race. Okay, maybe chocolate anything. Or Sinatra. It is sometimes necessary, however, to park such fond memories by the side of the road. A consideration of the field for the 90th running of the Santa Anita Handicap this Saturday, March 7, requires both blinkers and a shadow roll when it comes to historic comparisons, which are best ignored. This is a new era in California racing. Austerity reigns. So, for a $300,000 purse and that grade 1 medallion, five of the original seven Thoroughbreds entered for the mile and one-quarter Handicap will contest the last of four stakes offered Saturday. The winner will forever find his name on a list that includes Seabiscuit, Round Table, Lucky Debonair, Hill Rise, and Ack Ack, which should be its own reward. There have been smaller Santa Anita Handicap fields. In 1998, Silver Charm and Gentlemen sent all but three opponents running for cover. Then Silver Charm scratched—something about a nail that quicked a hoof—and Gentlemen went to the post at a nickel on the dollar. Alas, he suffered a significant episode of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (translation: he bled), which left Gentlemen's stablemate, the Chilean 5-year-old Malek, to hold off Cal-bred Bagshot by half a length after a relaxed 2:02.26. Fifth money of $20,000 reverted to the house. "This is one of the strangest feelings I've ever had," said Richard Mandella, trainer of the winner and the humbled favorite. "I'm enjoying it, but how can you enjoy it? It's very frustrating." A decade earlier, no one could blame anyone with an older horse for avoiding the Santa Anita Handicap like the plague. The field of four featured a salty reunion of the first three finishers from the 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)—Ferdinand, Alysheba, and Judge Angelucci. Stir in California's own Super Diamond, winner of the 1986 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) and fresh off a score in the San Pasqual Handicap (G2), in which he handled Judge Angelucci. The race came off as advertised. Alysheba evened the score with Ferdinand by half a length, but he needed to shade two minutes to get the job done. The winner carried 126 pounds and Ferdinand packed 127, making for an official chart now preserved in amber, and no one felt cheated by the size of the field. Track condition and weather played a key role in reducing the field for the 1980 Handicap to just five brave equine souls. Seven entered, and even that was a surprise, since only one of them was Spectacular Bid. For some reason, opposing horsemen thought that 130 pounds on the "Bid" would slow him down. (I know. Stop laughing.) The champ stuck out his chin and knifed through a cold, driving rain over a surface generously labeled "sloppy" to win by 5. Neither the sky above nor the earth below will provide any excuses Saturday, unless temperatures in the mid-70s and a light breeze prove troublesome to the likely favorite, Just a Touch. The son of Justify lost a close one in the Louisiana Stakes (G3) last time out, his first start in half a year, and his record is numbingly consistent: first or second in eight of 10 lifetime tries and a game third to Raging Torrent and Fierceness in last year's Metropolitan Handicap (G1). The outlier—what a surprise—was the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1), in which Just a Touch was pinballed a couple of times right after the start, took up over heels going by the stands, then tried to take off with Florent Geroux, who knows him well. By the time they reached the head of the Churchill Downs stretch, the colt sensibly said "no mas" and trundled home last of 20. It is not known if he held the experience against his people, but the Derby can hardly be used as evidence he can't get a mile and a quarter. The ability to handle added distance definitely will be the key to the San Felipe Stakes (G2) on the Handicap undercard Saturday, when seven 3-year-olds squabble for 105 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The purse is $200,000, chickenfeed on the Derby trail, but those points are priceless. Fans will get to see what $5.4 million buys you between Brant ($3 million) and Potente ($2.4 million) from the Bob Baffert stable. Then again, back in November of 2023, a weanling by Runhappy sold for just $12,000, then as a yearling for $20,000, and finally as a 2-year-old for $150,000 who grew up to break his maiden in November then win the San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park in January like he wanted to keep going. Mike Smith has ridden So Happy in both his races and many of his works. The Hall of Famer was asked about young horses being asked longer questions as they matured. "Sometimes a horse will get it done the first time sprinting, but that's about it," Smith said. "You can usually tell by the way they recover from the race. Were they on fumes when they hit the wire and then just shut it down? Or do they run through the wire, gallop out, and then pull up well within themselves without any distress? Then you're happy." Just like So Happy in the 7-furlong San Vicente, in which he beat the Baffert colt Buetane ($1.15 million) by 2 lengths in a smart 1:21.12. "The best part of his race that day was the last hundred yards," Smith said. "And there wasn't a whole lot of encouragement. I asked him just a little with my hands and maybe once or twice with the crop, and he went right on. "He's never been one to show you a whole lot in the morning," Smith continued. "He's happy getting done with whatever he can get away with. But the other morning was the best he's ever worked by himself, with that half in :46 and four. I was on him, and he was just brilliant, finishing out around the turn like he wanted more. And I had him out in the middle of the track, not asking him for a thing. It was all him. "He's already shown he's a really good sprinter," Smith added. "Now we need to find out if he can stretch that on out. His seven-eighths race was better than his three-quarters race, but you never know until he does it. That clubhouse turn for some odd reason just changes everything for some. I'm just as excited as anybody to see if he can do it." So Happy races for Hans and Ana Maron, who race as Saints or Sinners, and Robert Norman of Norman Stables. Trainer Mark Glatt gets the credit for snagging So Happy out of the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales March parade of 2-year-olds. Even if So Happy can pass his distance test, there will be a somber side to any celebration. Dena Glatt, the wife of the trainer for 25 years and mother of their three children, died Feb. 12 from cardiac arrest after a two-week hospitalization. She was 57. "She was just a lovely lady, right there by Mark's side," Smith said. "She'd always give me a hug and a kiss and wish me well. And she was right there in the winner's circle last time with So Happy. "Mark has his moments," Smith added. "Sometimes he'll laugh and joke a little bit, then get quiet. But what happened is something you never get over. Time might ease the pain, but it never takes it away. Trust me, though. For this colt on Saturday, Dena be with us in spirit."