Kentucky-bred Locked romped to an 8 ½-length victory in the $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita on Saturday, March 1. The winning margin is the largest in the history of the Big ‘Cap, which was first held in 1935.
With jockey Jose Ortiz in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Locked raced in mid-pack early. He was caught five-wide around the first turn and was kept in the clear racing on the outside down the backstretch. Under a confident ride from Ortiz, Locked rallied outside of rivals in the lane. He swooped to the front and extended his advantage through the stretch to prove much the best at the wire over Express Train. The winner covered the 1 ¼ miles in 2:01.71. Locked’s winning margin bested the previous record of 7 ¾ lengths set by Game on Dude in 2013.
“I talked to Todd, and he told me to be aggressive out of the gate and put him as close as I can and the horse will do the rest,” Ortiz said of his trip. “The horse has a nice stride. When he gets into the stride he covers a lot of ground.”
Locked Now a Two-Time G1 Winner
Locked is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm LLC.
“It is just a huge honor to be here with a horse like Locked,” said Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “I grew up coming to Santa Anita with my parents and to win a race like the Big ‘Cap is what dreams are made of. We have had a huge day.”
With the win, Locked improved his record to 8-5-1-2 and he now boasts earnings of $1,661,650. Prior to the Santa Anita Handicap, Locked rallied to be second in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. He captured the Cigar Mile (G2) in December. And as a juvenile, Locked won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland.
Bred in Kentucky by Rosa Colasanti, Locked is by Gun Runner out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa. He was a $425,000 graduate of the 2022 Keeneland September Sale where he was consigned by Eaton Sales.