For Sadler, third Big Cap win is extra special

ARCADIA, Calif. – Saturday ended a lot better than it started for trainer John Sadler. In the morning, he had to scratch morning-line favorite Gift Box from the Santa Anita Handicap. “I was down here,” Sadler said Sunday morning at Santa Anita, holding the palm of his hand just above the ground. “On the floor.”

But Sadler still won the Santa Anita Handicap with second-stringer Combatant, and also added the San Carlos with the sprinter Flagstaff, giving him two stakes victories on the biggest card of the meet to date.

The Big Cap win, in particular, was meaningful and historic, for Sadler became the first trainer to win the meet’s signature race for older horses three consecutive years. He did it with three different horses – champion Accelerate in 2018, Gift Box last year, and now Combatant, who was making only his second start for Sadler since being purchased last November at auction as a horse of racing age. All three of Sadler’s Big Cap winners are owned by brothers Kosta and Pete Hronis, his main clients.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

It was particularly gratifying for Sadler owing to his fondness for the race for decades. He grew up in Southern California, and his family was friends with Lou Rowan, who co-owned 1970 Big Cap winner Quicken Tree.

“My history with that race goes back to having family picnics in the infield,” Sadler said. “My dad was friends with Lou Rowan. In that era, that was the most-important race here. The Derby races have become more popular these days, but in that era, the Big Cap was it.”

Sadler that after scratching Gift Box, “I put on a brave face, because that’s what you do.”

“I thought Combatant would run well,” Sadler said. “We got the win from Flagstaff early, so that was a good beacon for the day. We also had a couple of tough beats.”

Sadler said he wasn’t sure what his plans for Combatant would be, but said both he and Higher Power – last seen in the Pegasus World Cup – would both be considered for the Oaklawn Handicap next month.

Sadler said he was still in the process of trying to diagnose the extent of the ankle injury that forced Gift Box to scratch. He said he believed, at this point, it was minor and that he expected Gift Box to be back in action no later than two months from now, perhaps in time for the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, in which he finished second last year to eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and champion Vino Rosso.

Flagstaff is under consideration for the Golden Shaheen in Dubai or, more likely, the Commonwealth at Keeneland, Sadler said Sunday.

Midcourt likely for Gold Cup

Midcourt, who finished third as the odds-on favorite in the Santa Anita Handicap, likely will not race again for two months and point to the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday.

Midcourt was beaten by three-quarters of a length while conceding five pounds (123-118) to the victorious Combatant and 10 (123-113) to runner-up Multiplier.

“It’s hard to be critical of his race when giving away that kind of weight going a mile and a quarter,” Shirreffs said.