SA Handicap (Grade 1)- $400.000 Purse
SA- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
March 6, 2021

For the last two years, Achilles has picked up the victory in the SA Handicap for trainer Diablo Diablo. On Saturday, this gelding looks to accomplish a very rare feat in this game, which would be to win a stake three years running. If he does, it would be in the silks of Mb Stables, but would not make the achievement any less. He will meet seven rivals, all of whom see the script of this race ending a little differently. The SA Handicap itself will run for the lowest purse that it ever has this year, dropping from $600.000 last year. For most of its history, it ran for $1,000.000, but gradually that figure has been cut. There are some great names on the past winners list, including Icicle, Dark Crown, and Atomic Twister, among others. We’ll have a couple big names in this race too, so let’s get to it!

#1- No More Haggis (YME Stable, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- Starting on the rail, this Ginger Haggis colt does not have a lot of graded stake experience, but he did transition very well from overnights into stakes right away. In December, he would win the Grade 3 Valedictory, and the trainer hopes for a repeat of that. Fourth by three lengths in his last start, the San Pasqual, to Mintmach, who he sees again. And that one won’t be the favorite here, either.

#2- Sexy Back (Night Rider Stables, ridden by E J Zayas)- Making the 19th start of his career, and is hoping that it will result in his first graded win. This is a fact that allows him to be the low weight in the field, carrying 116 pounds, and that’s never a bad thing. Has only one race where he has run this long, and that was the Travers. He did not perform well in the Midsummer Derby, but was better, running third, in the BC Derby, a Grade 3, a month later.

#3- Space Commander (Nakamura Stables, ridden by V R Carrasco)- From the low weight to the high weight in the field, Space Commander will be carrying 122 pounds for the race. He can carry it with pride, however, because that is due to winning the Pegasus World Cup in his last start, a truly impressive feat. Two starts before that, he narrowly missed being a BC Classic champion, settling for the second place spoils there. Plenty of reasons to like Space Commander, but how much will it matter that he carries two more pounds than Splash Mountain?

#4- Mintmach (Nolespan Racing, ridden by L Saez)- A great $10.500 claim in April of last year, and the trainer had confidence immediately, putting him in the graded ranks right away. Since then, he has three wins in seven starts. He also has three finishes of 11th or worse in that same time span. Won the San Pasqual about five weeks ago, but this is against better company, and when he’s tried the best of the best, the results have not been there. He also carries 121 pounds in this race.

#5- Slo Mo (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by A Bocachica)- The five year old gelding has only one win in his thirteen career starts, but perhaps after a long layoff, he is a different horse. He took a long break from racing after March 2020, where he ran for an $7.000 claim to appearing in an allowance in December at FG, running second. That brought him to the San Marcos, where he was second again. Now, he’ll be leaving the grass, something he hasn’t been on since 2018.

#6- Splash Mountain (John Henry, ridden by G Saez)- One of the greats of the game will take a break from his head to head rivalry with Tactical and really seems to be a tough foe for everyone here. We know that he did not run well in the BC Dirt Mile, but if people were thinking the six year old gelding might be slowing down after that, Splash Mountain proved them wrong. He would win the Grade 1 Cigar Handicap at AQU in December, and then finished second to Space Commander at the Pegasus World Cup. He’ll carry two less pounds then him today, so that may make a big difference.

#7- Having A Blast (Mb Stables, ridden by Ru Fuentes)- It will be the 29th start in the career of the six year old gelding, and a win would see him surpass $1,000.000 in career earnings. I looked back to find where his real signature victory was to accomplish that and nothing really stood out, other than the Suburban Handicap last July. He’s really been a story of consistency in getting some portion of that purse every time. That can add up, and because of that, don’t rule him out to do the same here.

#8- Achilles (Mb Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Sometimes, the past performances are not necessary. If we look at how he has run recently, then Achilles would not be one of the top threats to win this race. But what we do know, is that he has done it twice, and he didn’t look like the horse to beat in 2020 either. He runs for a new trainer in Mb Stables, and it will be the second time they run together. The past performances say pick someone else. But it’s hard to not too.

Prediction: 6-3-8-7

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES