Big Cazanova targets Santa Anita Handicap

DEL MAR, Calif. — Big Cazanova will be pointed for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 following his win in Saturday’s $200,500 Native Diver at Del Mar.

Trainer Peter Miller said he would prefer to keep Big Cazanova on a synthetic track, but lucrative opportunities on such surfaces are dwindling. Del Mar will remove its Polytrack synthetic track this winter. Keeneland replaced its synthetic track with a dirt surface this year. Golden Gate Fields in Northern California has a synthetic track, but it does not have a stakes scheduled for older horses at a mile or longer in the coming months.

Santa Anita has a dirt surface, which Miller said he has no hesitation in trying with Big Cazanova.

“We would like to continue on Polytrack,” he said. “I think he can handle the dirt just fine.”

In the Grade 3 Native Diver over 1 1/8 miles, Big Cazanova set the pace and pulled away in the final furlong to win by 3 1/4 lengths as the 2-1 favorite in a field of seven. He was unbeaten in three starts on Del Mar’s synthetic track this year.

The Native Diver was Big Cazanova’s first stakes win in his 20th start. The 5-year-old Argentine-bred was stakes-placed in South American and beat maidens in his third start in the United States in May. He was seventh in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Sept. 27 in his American stakes debut and fifth of eight in the Grade 2 Las Vegas Marathon Stakes over 1 3/4 miles on dirt at Santa Anita on Oct. 31.

For the Santa Anita winter meeting, Miller said a possible prep race for the Big Cap is the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 7. The Big Cap is run over 1 1/4 miles and is the richest race for older horses at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.