LEXINGTON, Ky. – British Isles won the historic Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap last time out, topping a field of five and finishing ahead of two graded stakes winners. British Isles runs in the Grade 3, $350,000 Ben Ali Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland. He is one of six graded stakes winners in a field of nine that includes defending winner Tennessee Lamb, talented Batten Down, and veteran Rattle N Roll, a Grade 1 winner locally. “It’s not an easy race,” trainer Richard Baltas said. “I think it’s probably tougher than his last race.” British Isles, a 5-year-old gelding, has come to hand in the last six months. After spending a significant amount of time racing on turf, he moved back to dirt last fall and was second in the Grade 3 Native Diver, beaten a half-length by Grade 1 winner Nevada Beach. British Isles was fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, which Baltas called “a huge step up.” :: Keeneland Spring Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, picks, news, and more. He moved on to the Santa Anita Handicap, which, after the scratches of Pegasus winner Skippylongstocking and graded winner Westwood, went with a field of five. British Isles raced in contention throughout, and after six furlongs in 1:11.31, was pressing the pace. While the speed faded, British Isles ran on to win by 4 1/2 lengths, finishing the 1 1/4 miles in 2:05.17. “They didn’t come home real fast, but he won by” a good margin, Baltas said. “It’s really the first time he’s ever really run by horses and put them away. I was really encouraged with that race because, for a fairly fast pace, he was up there close. It wasn’t like he ran into a fast pace and everything fell apart. I know the final time was slow, but he finished up well.” British Isles cuts back slightly from the 1 1/4 miles, which Baltas called “maybe his best” distance, to the 1 3/16 miles of the Ben Ali. Meanwhile, Rusty Arnold wishes the preparation period for Tennessee Lamb had been longer and is eager to get the defending winner back around two turns. This is another horse who took time to find his stride, finally winning a maiden race in his eighth career start, late in his 3-year-old season. That kicked off a period in which he won 3 of 4 outings, culminating with the 2025 Ben Ali. “He’s a big, beautiful horse who we like,” Arnold said. “He’s shown ability since day one. It took him a little bit to get it all put together. His only bad race [in that span] was a turf race, which he just didn’t handle at all.” After winning the Ben Ali, Tennessee Lamb finished sixth in the Grade 3 Blame at Churchill Downs, emerging with an injury that sent him to the sidelines. He made his first start in more than nine months in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on March 1 at Gulfstream, finishing third. “We wanted to go a little farther in Florida and a little earlier, but the races didn’t seem to go,” Arnold said. “We needed a start, so we had to run him a little shorter than we wanted, but he put in a really good effort. To go a mile and three-sixteenths, I wish we had two races in Florida instead of the one, but we ran out of time, and I hope we’ve got him fit enough.” :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Coming off the sprint effort, Tennessee Lamb may be even more forward than his usual, which could put him in a similar position to British Isles early. “He doesn’t get very far back, and he’s coming off a sprint, which I think will help him be in the hunt,” Arnold said. “Hopefully, it won’t be too fast, we’ll be able to kick on, and hopefully I’ve got enough in him.” Grade 3 winner Batten Down is the most likely pacesetter, coming off a front-running 8 1/2-length win in the restricted Pig Trail at Oaklawn. Most recently, Batten Down breezed in company with trainer Bill Mott’s Kentucky Derby hopeful Chief Wallabee and appeared keen and well-held early while put outside and pressing the younger horse. Awesome Aaron, winner of the Grade 3 Pimlico Special at this distance last year, and Stars and Stripes, coming off a well-regarded Oaklawn allowance win, could press the pace. A strong tempo up front would suit multimillionaire Rattle N Roll, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on this track five years ago, and the late-running Grade 2 winner Honor Marie, who relishes chances to run even longer. San Siro, second in the 2025 Ben Ali, and longshot Guns and Glory complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.