The Santa Anita Handicap is a premier Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four and older, contested over 1 1/4 miles on the dirt at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Often referred to as the “Big ‘Cap,” it is one of the most historic older-horse stakes races in the U.S., dating back to its inaugural running in 1935.
The 2026 Santa Anita Handicap is scheduled for March 7 at Santa Anita Park during the Classic Meet. The race carries a purse of $300,000 and headlines one of the marquee stakes days of the meet.
In the 2025 Santa Anita Handicap, the rich history of the event continued with Locked taking the 1 1/4-mile dirt classic. Past winners of the “Big ‘Cap” read like a who’s-who of older-horse greatness, from Newgate and Accelerate to Shared Belief and Game On Dude, making it a must-watch for bettors and handicappers alike.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | British Isles | Diego A. Herrera | Richard Baltas | 2:05.17 |
| 2025 | Locked | Jose L. Ortiz | Todd A. Pletcher | 2:01.71 |
| 2024 | Newgate | Lanfranco Dettori | Bob Baffert | 2:03.49 |
| 2023 | Stiletto Boy | Kent J. Desormeaux | Ed Moger, Jr. | 2:01.96 |
| 2022 | Express Train | Victor Espinoza | John A. Shirreffs | 2:03.22 |
| 2021 | Idol | Joel Rosario | Richard Baltas | 2:02.46 |
| 2020 | Combatant | Joel Rosario | John W. Sadler | 2:02.32 |
