GRADE I, $400,000 SANTA ANITA HANDICAP STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

LANFRANCO DETTORI, NEWGATE, WINNER: “When I was a kid here in the late 80s, there were 60,000 people here to see Ferdinand and Alysheba and you just couldn’t move. I was in awe. I rode in the Big ‘Cap the first time last year and it was a dream.  And to win it, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It is a big feather in my cap, they don’t get bigger than The Santa Anita Big ‘Cap.  I followed Victor (Newgrange) and I sat pretty low until the quarter pole. I took my horse to the outside, I had a bit of weight pull with some of the horses. I thought I would get to the line okay and in fairness Subsanador gave me a good fight. The last twenty yards we got out in front, and I couldn’t believe it. I could not believe that I had done it.”

TRAINER QUOTES

BOB BAFFERT, NEWGATE, WINNER : “We always thought that he was going to be a better horse as he gets older and we’ve been patient, just getting races into him and today was supposed to be his coming out party kind of race.  I was getting a little worried there turning for home it looked like that other horse got away but he just dug in. It is such a historical race and just to win it, for our team and with Frankie Dettori, it really makes it that much more special. He was telling me when Alysheba and Ferdinand ran together Santa Anita was just packed. So, he knows how historical this race is. What a day, I am just blessed and happy that I have a hard working crew that just works hard to get these horses ready. Today they got rewarded with their wins. Those grooms, I’ve never seen them happier.”   

NOTES: The winning owners are SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A., Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.