British Isles Bursts Away Late To Win The Grade I Santa Anita Handicap

By Victor Ryan —-

BRITISH ISLES BURSTS AWAY LATE TO WIN THE GRADE I SANTA ANITA HANDICAP PRESENTED BY YAAMAVA’ RESORT & CASINO AT SAN MANUEL SATURDAY AT SANTA ANITA

The on-track crowd of 19,112 was the largest since 2019

ARCADIA, CA (March 7, 2026)— British Isles surged to the lead just past the quarter pole and drew off in the stretch to earn his biggest career victory in the Grade I, $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel Saturday at Santa Anita.

British Isles (7-1), trained by Richard Baltas, won by 4 ? lengths under Diego Herrera. Vodka Vodka (6-1), ridden by Kent Desormeaux for trainer Aggie Ordonez, was second followed by Getaway Car (3-1) and 3-5 favorite Just a Touch.

For Baltas, this was his second time winning the 1 ?-mile Big Cap. He also won it in 2021 with Idol. The Big Cap victory was the first Grade I win for Herrera in a Thoroughbred race. A 22-year-old native of nearby Inglewood, Herrera got his start in racing as a quarter-horse jockey at Los Alamitos.

“I don’t even have any words, it is just such a blessing,” Herrera said. “Thank God that everything came together today.”

A 5-year-old gelding by Justify, British Isles is owned by Slam Dunk Racing; Deborah A. Baltas, Richard’s wife; and Cynthia McClanahan. He won in a time of 2:05.17 following fractions of 22.86, 46.63, 1:11.31 and 1:36.72 set by Midnight Mammoth (8-1)

“I feel great,” Richard Baltas said. “I was a little worried around the turn. Diego did a great job with the horse. I thought around the turn he was asking him and I didn’t know if he had anything left, then suddenly, he burst away. I was ecstatic.”

British Isles improved to 23: 3-6-4 with $371,826 in earnings. He previously was fifth in the GI Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park. Prior to that, British Isles was narrowly beaten by Grade I Winner Nevada Beach in the GIII Native Diver at Del Mar in November.

British Isles paid $16.40, $6.00 and $4.20. Vodka Vodka returned $5.60 and $4.00. Getaway Car, ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Bob Baffert, paid $3.20.

Attendance on Big Cap Day at Santa Anita was 19,112, the largest since 2019.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT. After multiple longshot won on Saturday’s program, there will be a $126,906 carryover in the $2 Pick Six. It starts with the fourth race at 2:36 p.m.

GRADE I, SANTA ANITA HANDICAP QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

DIEGO HERRERA, BRITISH ISLES, WINNER: “I don’t even have any words, it is just such a blessing. Thank God that everything came together today. Thank Richie, thank my agent and Nick Cosato. We have a great team and Richie is one hell of a trainer. I’m just very grateful.”

JUAN HERNANDEZ, GETAWAY CAR, THIRD: “We had a good trip. Everything was fine. He runs hard and shows up every time. Hopefully he will improve from here.”

FLORENT GEROUX, JUST A TOUCH, FOURTH: “He’s a funny horse. I’m not surprised, this has happened more than once. I was following along on the rail and we had plenty of space. I saw Diego and British Isles and they were traveling a lot better than we were on the back side. I have no excuses.”

TRAINER QUOTES

RICHARD BALTAS, BRITISH ISLES, WINNER: “I feel great. I was a little worried around the turn. Diego did a great job with this horse. I thought around the turn he was asking him and I didn’t know if we had anything left, then suddenly, he burst away. I was ecstatic. It meant a lot to the owners and it meant a lot to Diego, his first Grade I win.”

NOTES: The winning owner is Slam Dunk Racing, Baltas or McClanahan.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thorouhbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks, training centers and premier events including: Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and 1/ST TV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.