Santa Anita

Three SoCal Grade 1 winners in 2021 to miss Santa Anita Handicap

Steve Andersen|Feb 25, 2022

Idol (left) trains at Del Mar on Oct. 31

Barbara D. Livingston Last year's Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol (left) works at Del Mar in October. He has had two recent timed workouts at the San Luis Rey training center.

Country Grammer, Idol, and Tripoli, Grade 1 winners at 1 1/4 miles in Southern California in 2021, will miss the Big Cap.

Country Grammer, trained by Bob Baffert, was entered in the Saudi Cup. Last May, Country Grammer won the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita.

Idol won the 2021 Big Cap, catching Express Train in the stretch, but has not raced since a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in October. Idol recently resumed workouts for trainer Richard Baltas at the San Luis Rey Downs training center.

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Tripoli won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August and was later fourth in the Awesome Again and seventh in the BC Classic. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli underwent surgery to have a bone chip removed from a knee after the BC Classic. Sadler said Friday that Tripoli recently returned to his stable.

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