Big Cap winner British Isles soon to have company atop California handicap division

ARCADIA, Calif. – Help is on the way for the maligned California handicap division.

British Isles won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on March 7 in a sluggish 2:05.17, earning an allowance-caliber 90 Beyer Speed Figure. The figure is the lowest by a Big Cap winner since Beyers were first published in the 1990s.

The final time does not concern trainer Richard Baltas. The $180,000 winner’s share of the purse spends the same. And on Wednesday morning, Baltas was more excited about the 4 1/2-length margin of victory by British Isles.

“They can say what they want about the bad race, 90 Beyer, all that, I don’t care,” Baltas said. “The horse has never run like that in his life, he’s never put away horses. He’s always barely won, or run second or third. He wants the dirt, and he wants the mile and a quarter. And I think he might improve off that race, because of the way he ran.”

British Isles, a 5-year-old gelding who lost his first five starts for trainer Bob Baffert before he was purchased privately and transferred to Baltas, probably must improve to win a similar race.

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Meanwhile, a pair of Grade 1-winning older horses are nearing comebacks – 2024 Santa Anita Derby winner Stronghold and 2024 California Crown winner Subsanador.

Stronghold has not started since Aug. 23, when he finished second in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar. Phil D’Amato trains the 5-year-old, who is up to five furlongs in comeback works.

“He’s doing great, he probably needs a couple [more] drills, and we should be ready to go,” D’Amato said.

Go where? “We’re going to start looking, the next drill will give us a gauge where we’re at.”

Stronghold has won three races and $1,228,000 from 12 starts.

Subsanador has not started since Sept. 28, 2024, when he defeated National Treasure in the California Crown at Santa Anita. Richard Mandella trains Subsanador, a 7-year-old Argentine who is up to six furlongs in comeback works.

Even though Subsanador is a route horse, Mandella will consider a seven-furlong sprint for his comeback. The Grade 3 San Carlos is on March 29 at Santa Anita.

“The San Carlos is too short for him, but over the years I’ve had pretty good luck bringing those kinds of horses back at seven-eighths,” Mandella said.

Subsanador has won nine races and $1,003,124 from 17 starts.

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As for the Big Cap winner, Baltas said Wednesday that British Isles came out of his win in top shape and that he will continue to race him at longer distances on dirt. The Grade 3, $350,000 Ben Ali Stakes on April 18 at Keeneland will be considered.

“That might be a spot,” Baltas said.

If he keeps British Isles home, the Grade 2 Gold Cup at Santa Anita, a mile and one-quarter race typically run in late May, will be considered.

British Isles has won four races and $551,826 from 24 starts.

Baltas said the Big Cap was “kind of a wake-up moment for [British Isles]. He’s never run away from a horse in his life. Maybe he’ll never win again, but maybe a mile and a quarter on dirt is his thing, and definitely dirt is his thing.”

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