SA Handicap (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
SA- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
March 1, 2025

We haven’t seen a lot of No More Rattle, as the six-year-old gelding was only making his sixth start since 2022, but he has made the most of the races he has been in. Coming into race off a third place run in the Hooper, he seemed like one of the top choices in the field and was the race’s post time favorite. He was not among our picks, and in retrospect, I have no idea why he was not. No More Rattle is trained by Bigchief Stables and was ridden by D Davis. For each, it is their first SA Handicap win! It’s the second Grade 1 win all-time for Bigchief Stables, and the first since 2014. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:59.90, the fifth quickest in the race’s history and fastest since 2013. Let’s take a look at it:

(½ Mile- :47.50)- Heading down the frontstretch and into the opening turn, Buck My Life will be the early leader, and the Luz International entry initially had the field fully clear by a length, but after a half mile TwinTowersRacing’s Living In The Matrix chipped into that advantage to be half a length back. Closely stalking the pace are the pair from Mb Stables, Killer Instinct and Individuation, and it’s about two lengths more to Too Short, who runs by himself in the middle of the field for Mo Mentum Farm. Next up, we have Gold Vault and Dangerous Fugitive, for The Sidley Stud and Night Rider Stables, respectively, and they are followed by the race’s eventual winner from Bigchief Stables, No More Rattle. He is officially six lengths off the pace, but this is the way he typically runs early. The trailers are Big Bang Boom (Rock Creek) and Alive (Arindel).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.60)- The leader of the race is still Buck My Life, but shooting a gap between him and Living In The Matrix is Killer Instinct. He’s second for now and just a neck behind the leader. Living In The Matrix is still in good shape running third, and Individuation runs right behind the leader. Not much is changing behind them, with Too Short still by himself in fifth, a length ahead of Dangerous Fugitive and Gold Vault. No More Rattle was in a good spot for a horse that likes to come from behind, staying on the rail and having the field have some separation in front of him. Big Bang Boom pulls ahead of Alive, as well.

(Top of the Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- It didn’t seem like much more time would be needed for Killer Instinct to take over the race’s lead, and he would poke ahead in front before even making their way around the final turn. At the top of the turn further back, we see No More Rattle come off the rail and now has plenty of unobstructed running room to work with. Once into the stretch, Killer Instinct was clear by a length, dismissing those early frontrunners, Buck My Life and Living In The Matrix, and even his stablemate, Individuation. However, trouble was looming for him in the form of No More Rattle, who would advance in the turn, and was not overly bothered when Too Short moved in front of him. D Davis would move his horse to the outside, which is something he always had the flexibility to do and would need to make up about two and a half lengths on Killer Instinct. Could he get there in time?

(Finish- 1:59.90)- No More Rattle made a clear advance in the final half furlong, and right before that, you were not living in the matrix if you thought he morphed into Living In The Matrix a bit on the race viewer. That would not hinder him at all, and he would power on home to pull even with Killer Instinct, and hit the wire together with him for a photo finish. That would reveal his victory by head. It was about a length and a half to a third-place dead heat between Individuation, Big Bang Boom, and Buck My Life. Yes, three of them. Behind that, it would be Dangerous Fugitive, Too Short, Living In The Matrix, Gold Vault, and Alive.

About The Winner- No More Rattle, trained by Bigchief Stables and ridden to victory by D Davis, is a six-year-old gelding by Timber Rattler and is out of the late Weep No More. He was bred in West Virginia as a first quarter two-year-old by T Boy Racing, and was acquired by Bigchief Stables after his debut, which was a $12.500 maiden claimer in May 2021. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his sixth in 18 starts, his fourth stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $716.260.

Track: Fast
Time: :47²  1:11³  1:35³  1:59⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 7 Paid 35.40
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 7 – 4 Paid 518.20, 1 – 7 – 5 Paid 130.30, 1 – 7 – 8 Paid 37.90

Scratched: Prince Ferro, Valance

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES