Saturday’s $300,000, Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino is an important early-season test for older horses at Santa Anita Park. The prestigious 1 ¼-mile race affectionately referred to as the “Big ’Cap” has a long and storied history dating back to the 1930s and the race was more recently popularized in pop culture by perhaps its most famous winner, Seabiscuit. The winner of this year’s running of the Santa Anita Handicap will position themselves among the top older horses in the country early in the 2025 season.

1. Express Train (10-1 morning-line odds): Grade 1 winner at this 1 ¼-mile distance in the 2022 running of this Santa Anita Handicap. Winless so far in career comeback attempt since last year, but he has shown gradual improvement, including a second last time out in the San Pasqual Stakes. Fits versus these … but only with return to career-best form.

JOCKEY: Hector Berrios; TRAINER: John Shirreffs

2. New King (8-1): Steps up into stakes company and stretches out beyond 1 1/16 miles for the first time. Beaten by Mirahmadi by 7 ¼ lengths at the optional-claiming level two races ago. His main appeal is his Hall of Fame connections.

JOCKEY: Mike Smith; TRAINER: Bob Baffert

3. Hit Show (5-2): Winner of four of his last five starts with graded stakes victories at Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Mountaineer, and most recently Fair Grounds, where he closed to get the win in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes Presented by Relyne GI by Hagyard. Has a grinding, late-running style that should translate well to success at this 1 ¼-mile distance.

JOCKEY: Flavien Prat; TRAINER: Brad Cox

4. J B Strikes Back (30-1): Ended 2024 on a three-race winning streak that culminated with his first career stakes win on opening day at Santa Anita in the Grade 3 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes, in which he beat Tarantino by 1 ¼ lengths at 1 1/16 miles. Can’t be discounted at a nice price if you are seeking a horse to bump up the value of your exotics.

JOCKEY: Antonio Fresu; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill

5. Mirahmadi (6-1): Broke his maiden three starts ago in his ninth lifetime outing and then went led from start to finish last time to add a second win to his ledger. Failed at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar when sixth in his only prior stakes appearance to date. He probably needs a clear easy lead to be able to win but there are plenty of horses in this lineup capable of keeping him company up front.

JOCKEY: Juan Hernandez; TRAINER: Bob Baffert

6. Katonah (8-1): This Doug O’Neill-trained closer compliments the barn’s other entrant in this race, J B Strikes Back, who will be on or close to the lead. Took advantage of a solid 1 1/8-mile pace last time to win the local Big ’Cap prep in the Grade 2 San Pasqual over Express Train, Tarantino, and Midnight Mammoth. Could pick up some of the pieces late for a top-three finish in the event of a total pace meltdown at this extended distance.

JOCKEY: Tiago Pereira; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill

7. Locked (3-2): Ships in for Todd Pletcher who seems to have circled this date on Locked’s agenda following back-to-back 100 Beyer Speed Figures when winning Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by TwinSpires and then overcoming a bad start to finish second in Gulfstream’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. If he gets off to a better start Saturday with blinkers on, he’ll be in a perfect stalking position with horses like J B Strikes Back, Mirahmadi, and Tarantino guaranteeing a lively pace.

JOCKEY: Jose Ortiz; TRAINER: Todd Pletcher

8. Midnight Mammoth (30-1): Looked like an up-and-comer last year when rattling-off wins at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, and Del Mar, culminating in a victory last July in the Cougar II Stakes going 1 ½ miles. He then spent five months on the sidelines and has come back from the layoff with back-to-back sixth-place finishes. This is a tough spot for a positive turnaround.

JOCKEY: Armando Ayuso; TRAINER: Craig Dollase

9. Tarantino (12-1): Has the speed to race on or close to the pace and most likely will try to stay in front as long as possible with company from J B Strikes Back and Mirahmadi. Hit the board in consecutive Grade 2 stakes at Santa Anita in December and January, but all three of the horses that beat him in those races — Katonah, J B Strikes Back, and Express Train — are entered in this race.

JOCKEY: Edwin Maldonado; TRAINER: Peter Eurton

THE PICK: Locked

LIVE LONGSHOT: J B Strikes Back

SUPERFECTA: 7-3-4-6