Santa Anita Handicap

The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season. The Santa Anita Handicap offers a purse of $1,000,000.

The first race was held in 1935, just months after the track opened in late 1934. The Santa Anita Handicap instantly became one of the nation's top races because it offered a minimum purse of $100,000, then a staggering amount for a horse race. In its early years, the race was most commonly referred to among horsemen and racing media as the "Hundred-Grander." Another nickname for the race dating back to that time, "The Big 'Cap," is still in regular use.

Probably the dominant figure in the early years of the race was the legendary Seabiscuit, as the race proved to be a metaphor for his career. In his first two attempts to win it in 1937 and 1938, he lost in photo finishes, with the second loss to a horse carrying 30 pounds less than him. He suffered what was believed to be a career-ending injury while preparing for the 1939 edition. Amazingly, he came back to run in the Hundred-Grander in 1940, finally winning in what would be his last race.

Winners of the Santa Anita Handicap

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2007	Lava Man	Corey Nakatani	Doug O'Neill	STD Racing Stable/Jason Wood	2.02.11
2006	Lava Man	Corey Nakatani	Doug O'Neill	STD Racing Stable/Jason Wood	2.00.57
2005	Rock Hard Ten	Gary Stevens	Richard Mandella	Mercedes Stables & Madeleine Paulson	2.01.20
2004	Southern Image	Victor Espinoza	Michael Machowsky	Blahut Stables	2.01.64
2003	Milwaukee Brew	Edgar Prado	Robert J. Frankel	Stronach Stables	1.59.80
2002	Milwaukee Brew	Kent Desormeaux	Robert J. Frankel	Stronach Stables	2.01.02
2001	Tiznow	Chris McCarron	Jay Robbins	Michael Cooper & Cecilia Straub-Rubens	2.01.55
2000	General Challenge	Corey Nakatani	Bob Baffert	Golden Eagle Farm	2.01.49
1999	Free House	Chris McCarron	Paco Gonzalez	Trudy McCaffery & John Toffan	2.00.67
1998	Malek	Alex Solis	Richard Mandella	Stud Panter	2.02.26
1997	Siphon	David Flores	Richard Mandella	Rio Claro Thoroughbreds	2.02.23
1996	Mr. Purple	Eddie Delahoussaye	Ron McAnally	Alex G. Campbell, Jr.	2.02.04
1995	Urgent Request	Gary Stevens	Rodney Rash	Stewart Aitken	1.59.25
1994	Stuka	Chris Antley	Gary Jones	Allen E. Paulson	2.00.17
1993	Sir Beaufort	Pat Valenzuela	Charlie Whittingham	Victoria Calantoni	2.00.40
1992	Best Pal	Kent Desormeaux	Gary Jones	Golden Eagle Farm	1.59.00
1991	Farma Way	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	Quarter B Farm	2.01.20
1990	Ruhlmann	Gary Stevens	Robert J. Frankel	Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Moss	2.01.20
1989	Martial Law	Martin Pedroza	Julio Canani	Clover Racing Stable	1.58.80
1988	Alysheba	Chris McCarron	Jack van Berg	Dorothy & Pamela Scharbauer	1.59.80
1987	Broad Brush	Angel Cordero, Jr.	Richard Small	Robert E. Meyerhoff	2.00.60
1986	Greinton	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Charlie Whittingham	Bradley, Whittingham & Wynne	2.00.00
1985	Lord at War	Bill Shoemaker	Charlie Whittingham	Peter Perkins	2.00.60
1984	Interco	Pat Valenzuela	Ted West, Sr.	David I. Sofro	2.00.60
1983	Bates Motel	Terry Lipham	John H. M. Gosden	Getty Phillips & Riordan	1.59.60
1982	John Henry †	Bill Shoemaker	Ron McAnally	Dotsam Stable	1.59.00
1981	John Henry	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Ron McAnally	Dotsam Stable	1.59.40
1980	Spectacular Bid	Bill Shoemaker	Bud Delp	Hawksworth Farm	2.00.60
1979	Affirmed	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Laz Barrera	Harbor View Farm	1.58.60
1978	Vigors	Darrel McHargue	Larry Sterling	W. R. Hawn	2.01.20
1977	Crystal Water	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Roger Clapp	Mrs. Connie M. Ring	1.59.20
1976	Royal Glint	Jorge Tejeira	G. R. Potter	Dan Lasater	2.00.40
1975	Stardust Mel	Bill Shoemaker	Charlie Whittingham	Marjorie L. Everett	2.06.40
1974	Prince Dantan	Ron Turcotte	Frank "Pancho" Martin	Sigmund Sommer	2.03.60
1973	Cougar II	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Charlie Whittingham	Mary F. Jones	2.00.00
1972	Triple Bend	Donald Pierce	Vance Longden	Frank McMahon	2.00.00
1971	Ack Ack	Bill Shoemaker	Charlie Whittingham	Forked Lightning Ranch	2.03.00
1970	Quicken Tree	Fernando Alvarez	William T. Canney	Louis Rowan & Wheelock Whitney	1.59.60
1969	Nodouble	Eddie Belmonte	J. Bert Sonnier	Verna Lea Farm	2.01.80
1968	Mr. Right	Moises Yanez	Evan Jackson	Mrs. Peter Duchin	2.04.60
1967	Pretense	Bill Shoemaker	Charlie Whittingham	Llangollen Farm	2.00.80
1966	Lucky Debonair	Bill Shoemaker	Frank Catrone	Ada L. Rice	2.00.20
1965	Hill Rise	Donald Pierce	William B. Finnegan	El Peco Ranch	2.00.60
1964	Mr. Consistency	Ken Church	James Nazworthy	Ann Peppers	2.01.00
1963	Crozier	Braulio Baeza	J. E. Tinsley, Jr.	Fred W. Hooper	2.00.80
1962	Physician	Bill Shoemaker	Lynn A. Boice	Lynn A. Boice	2.02.60
1961	Prove It	Bill Shoemaker	Mesh Tenney	Rex C. Ellsworth	2.00.00
1960	Linmold	Donald Pierce	H. C. McBride	Mr. & Mrs. L. I. Nelson	2.00.60
1959	Terrang	William Boland	C. A. Roles	Poltex Stable & R. Bond	2.00.00
1958	Round Table	Bill Shoemaker	William Molter	Kerr Stables	1.59.80
1957	Corn Husker	Ralph Neves	Charlie Whittingham	Llangollen Farm	2.01.80
1956	Bobby Brocalo	Johnny Longden	William Molter	Mr. & Mrs. T. M. Kerr	2.04.60
1955	Poona II	Bill Shoemaker	Red McDaniel	Helbush Farm	2.03.00
1954	Rejected	Bill Shoemaker	William J. Hirsch	King Ranch	2.00.60
1953	Mark-Ye-Well	Eddie Arcaro	Horace A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2.01.20
1952	Miche	John S. Covalli	G. Don Cameron	Mrs. John P. Adams	2.01.00
1951	Moonrush	Johnny Longden	Willie Alvarado	Anita King & Gus Luellwitz	2.02.60
1950	Noor	Johnny Longden	Burley Parke	Charles S. Howard	2.00.00
1949	Vulcan's Forge	Dave Gorman	G. Don Cameron	I. J. Collins	2.02.80
1948	Talon	Eddie Arcaro	Horatio Luro	R. N. Ryan	2.03.40
1947	Olhaverry	Melvin Peterson	A. E. Silver	Pan De Azucar Stable	2.01.80
1946	War Knight	John Adams	Charlie Leavitt	Ethel Hill	2.01.60
1945	Thumbs Up	Johnny Longden	George M. Odom	Louis B. Mayer	2.01.20
1941	Bay View	Nick Wall	P. F. Dwyer	Mrs. Anthony Pelleteri	2.05.40
1940	Seabiscuit	Red Pollard	Tom Smith	Charles S. Howard	2.01.20
1939	Kayak II	John Adams	Tom Smith	Charles S. Howard	2.01.40
1938	Stagehand	Nick Wall	Earl H. Sande	Maxwell Howard	2.01.60
1937	Rosemont	Harry Richards	Richard E. Handlen	Foxcatcher Farms	2.02.80
1936	Top Row	Wayne D. Wright	Albert Anthony Baroni	Albert Anthony Baroni	2.04.20
1935	Azucar	George Woolf	James Rushton	F. M. Alger, Jr.	2.02.20

• † In 1982, Perrault won the race but was disqualified to second place.