Stilleto Boy, Desormeaux look strong in taking Santa Anita Handicap

ARCADIA, Calif. – A veteran gelding who had never been better, and a veteran jockey whose off-track troubles threatened to derail his career, teamed Saturday to score a thrilling upset in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

Stilleto Boy ($29.80) and jockey Kent Desormeaux wore down favorite Defunded in deep stretch, then held off late-running Proxy to score a neck victory in the Big ’Cap, the first Grade 1 for Desormeaux since he resumed his career last fall.

Ed Moger trains Stilleto Boy for his brother Steve Moger, and before the Big ’Cap, the trainer told anyone who would listen the Golden Gate-based veteran was “as strong as he’s been.” Turns out, so was the jockey.

Desormeaux was candid during a post-race interview. Asked what it means to win his third Big ’Cap at age 53 following troubles with alcohol and a return to riding in late 2022, the jockey was blunt.

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“For me, (with) my life-off-the-the-racetrack debacles, it just shows that I’ve come full circle,” he said. Desormeaux had previously won two Big ’Caps – in 1992 with Best Pal, and in 2002 with Milwaukee Brew. But trouble often followed Desormeaux. He addressed them Saturday after the race.

“I think it’s quite obvious when an alcoholic shows up and he’s been partying the night before, everyone can tell where you’ve been,” Desormeaux said. “So, it’s up to me to not show up with that face.”

Desormeaux has been sober since he restarted his career in November. He is riding well, ninth in the winter-meet standings, and he needed every bit of his Hall of Fame ability to get the job done on Stilleto Boy in the Big ’Cap.

The race did not set up well. Desormeaux said he sent Stilleto Boy “like I was at Los Alamitos at night, like a Quarter Horse.” Stilleto Boy made the lead early, but others had the same idea, including favorite Defunded and his Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Hopper.

Desormeaux was forced to suck back on Stilleto Boy while Defunded set the pace inside while dogged by Hopper. The fractions were solid for the 1 1/4-mile race, 46.16 and 1:10.72. Defunded shook off Hopper in midstretch, by which time Desormeaux had Stilleto Boy in the clear. He rallied outside Defunded, felt Proxy coming outside, passed Defunded late and held by a neck over Proxy in 2:01.96.

It was the second Grade 1 victory for Moger, both were ridden by Desormeaux, including the Matriarch Stakes in 2015 at Del Mar with Stormy Lucy, also owned by Moger’s brother, Steve.

Stilleto Boy’s victory Saturday was his first since the Grade 2 Californian last April at Santa Anita. In his most recent start, he finished third in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Moger is stabled at Golden Gate, and while rainstorms in Southern California curtailed training for locally based runners, Stilleto Boy did not miss any time at Golden Gate. Moger admitted, “I wasn’t upset they weren’t training here.”

Big ’Cap runner-up Proxy also entered the race off a steady training pattern at Fair Grounds, while favorite Defunded skipped his final workout due to the Santa Anita track closure.

Following third-place Defunded, the order of finish was Hopper, There Goes Harvard, Tisquantum, Newgrange, Warrant and Heywoods Beach.

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