Express Train, Hot Rod Charlie seek to cap strong seasons with San Antonio victory

ARCADIA, Calif. – Express Train and Hot Rod Charlie both had strong years that with a little luck might even have been better, and both will seek to end 2021 on a high note when they face off Sunday at Santa Anita in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes.

Express Train this year won two Grade 2 stakes, the San Pasqual at Santa Anita and San Diego at Del Mar. But he was narrowly defeated in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap when run down late, and then he didn’t even get to participate in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last month after injuring a hock while schooling in the Del Mar paddock days before the race.

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Hot Rod Charlie won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, but was disqualified from victory in the Grade 1 Haskell and was a gallant second in the Belmont Stakes, five weeks after crossing the wire a close third in the Kentucky Derby.

They head a field of seven in the San Antonio, a 1 1/16-mile event that as race 6 marks the midway point of the 11-race card.

Express Train “was jumping around and whacked himself” at Del Mar, trainer John Shirreffs said, necessitating his scratch from the Classic. He got back on the work tab Nov. 22 at Del Mar, and after two drills there had three more at Santa Anita, polished off by a five-furlong work in 1:00 on Monday. This will be his first start since he was third in the Grade 1 Awesome Again here Oct. 2.

Unlike Express Train, Hot Rod Charlie made it to the Classic and ran fourth while spending most of the journey toward the inside, which did not appear to be the best part of the track that day. Hot Rod Charlie added blinkers for the Classic after not wearing them for his two prior starts. It was not denoted on the overnight, but trainer Doug O’Neill said the blinkers will come off for the San Antonio.

O’Neill said the San Antonio is designed to move Hot Rod Charlie toward the Dubai World Cup on March 26, with a prep there, likely Feb. 3 in the 1,900-meter Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2. O’Neill will be sending several horses to Dubai for the carnival.

“The San Antonio timing-wise seemed like a good stepping-stone,” O’Neill said.

Azul Coast, Kiss Today Goodbye, and Eight Rings – the top three finishers, in that order, in last month’s Grade 3 Native Diver at Del Mar – and longshots Extra Hope and Go On round out the field.

Azul Coast has won two of his last three starts, but was a distant seventh of eight in the Awesome Again, 10 1/4 lengths behind Express Train.

Eight Rings, like Azul Coast trained by Bob Baffert, figures to be a pace presence and is removing blinkers.

Kiss Today Goodbye, trained by Eric Kruljac, improved sharply in the Native Diver when he added blinkers and Kent Desormeaux, both for the first time.