The presence of J B Strikes Back and Katonah in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap is an accomplishment for trainer Doug O’Neill and two of his clients. J B Strikes Back was claimed for $25,000 at Del Mar last August and has won his last three starts, including the Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Since being claimed, J B Strikes Back has earned $173,960 for the Purple Rein Stable of Jeanie Buss. The Buss family is the majority owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neill and Buss lost J B Strikes Back via claim for $20,000 at Del Mar last July and claimed him back at the first opportunity a few weeks later. Katonah, who races for Ron Arakelian III’s R3 Racing, has been part of O’Neill’s stable since the now 6-year-old gelding was claimed for $50,000 in November 2021. Katonah has since won two stakes, including the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on Jan. 25. Katonah has earned $465,550 for Arakelian. :: Playing Santa Anita? Get the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. In the $300,000 Big Cap at 1 1/4 miles, J B Strikes Back and Katonah are part of a field of nine led by Locked, who was second in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25, and Hit Show, winner of the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 18. O’Neill’s runners represent two of the best hopes for locally based runners, a cast that includes 2022 Big Cap winner Express Train, who was second in the San Pasqual; and the recent allowance race winners Mirahmadi and New King, both trained by Bob Baffert. J B Strikes Back will be near the early pace, while Katonah races as a closer. “I love they have different styles,” O’Neill said on Wednesday. “I don’t have to worry about anything silly going on. If there is a soft pace, J B will tough to pass.” A 4-year-old gelding, J B Strikes Back has made significant progress since last summer. “He’s a horse that has displayed talent and was a little immature mentally,” O’Neill said. “Of late, he’s really picking it up.” J B Strikes Back was held out of the San Pasqual in favor of the Big Cap. In his stakes debut in the Pincay Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, J B Strikes Back disputed the pace throughout. He won two one-mile races at Del Mar in that manner – a starter allowance on Nov. 3 and an allowance race on Nov. 23.  “He’s on a three-race win streak,” O’Neill said. “He likes that track.” O’Neill, 56, won consecutive runnings of the Big Cap in 2006 and 2007 with the famous California-bred gelding Lava Man, but he has not had a top-three finisher since. Last year, Mixto finished fifth in the Big Cap for O’Neill. Mixto, the 40-1 winner of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar last August, was fourth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 25 and has been nominated to the $12 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on April 5. O’Neill said Wednesday that he is hopeful Mixto can gain an invitation to the Dubai World Cup. The Big Cap is one of four graded stakes on an 11-race program on Saturday that begins at noon Pacific. The Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile, a $300,000 race, is the day’s other Grade 1. There are two Grade 2 stakes: the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes, a prep race for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 5; and the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.