Let’s Meet the Contenders for Saturday’s Grade 1 $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap, one of the most storied races in the sport. It’s part of the 1/ST Racing Tour, which stops off at Santa Anita and Gulfstream for 13 combined stakes between the historic venues.

#1 There Goes Harvard (Kazushi Kimura // Michael McCarthy)
Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup winner last summer over this same track and distance, he’s never missed the trifecta in 6 local dirt starts. Off form in his last 2 starts, but was making a similar turf-to-dirt surface switch into his signature Gold Cup score. Jockey-trainer tandem teamed to win the $100,000 Astra Stakes this meet in a 13-1 upset.

#2 Parnelli (Victor Espinoza // John Shirreffs)
Quality Road colt stretches out to a mile and one-quarter for the first time in his 18th career start. Jockey Espinoza is a 3-time winner of the Santa Anita Handicap in 2004, 2018 and last year when teamed with trainer Shirreffs with Express Train. He’s yet to win a stakes race, but his close-up third in the Grade 2 San Pasqual arguably was his best effort.

#3 Newgrange (Frankie Dettori // Phil D’Amato)
Grade 2 San Pasqual winner notched the key local prep for this race on Jan. 28 and seeks a fourth career stakes win. His perfect 3-for-3 Santa Anita record stands out. This will be the longest career attempt for the son of Violence. World-renowned jockey Dettori has 4 stakes wins at the current Classic Meet, including a pair routing on the dirt.

#4 Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux // Ed Moger, Jr.)
Last year’s Big ‘Cap third-place finisher returns to the scene after a third-place run in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream, the same path as in 2022. His $1.4 million earned tops this year’s field. Jockey Mike Smith will depart in order to ride Hopper, but veteran jockey Desormeaux reunites and has Santa Anita Handicap victories in 1992 (Best Pal) and 2002 (Milwaukee Brew). He was the regular pilot for this horse during his 2021 campaign.

#5 Defunded (Juan Hernandez // Bob Baffert) * pictured above *
The expected favorite exits a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, but his signature score came over this track in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes in October. Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race 5 times, but not since Game On Dude’s back-to-back scores in 2013-’14. First or second from the outset of each of his last 7 starts, expect him near the engine again. The handicap highweight at 125 pounds will concede 3-11 pounds to his rivals.

#6 Warrant (Flavien Prat // Brad Cox)
New Orleans winter resident returns west again after last year’s runner-up by a head in the Big ‘Cap. Champion trainer Brad Cox got an allowance prep victory into this son of Constitution at Fair Grounds in January, his only start since last summer. Warrant ran 5 races in 5 different states in 2022, but has not won a stakes race since the 2021 Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby.

#7 Heywoods Beach (Ramon Vazquez // John Sadler)
Not only has the distance specialist won at the mile and one-quarter trip on dirt, but he’s also scored a pair of stakes at a mile and one-half. Trainer Sadler – who was announced Tuesday as a first-time addition to the Hall of Fame ballot – won this race 3 straight years from 2018-’20 with different horses – Accelerate, Gift Box and Combatant.

#8 Hopper (Mike Smith // Bob Baffert)
The least-experienced member of the field is this 4-year-old with only 4 career starts. Early pace player gave way late as the 7-5 favorite in the Grade 2 San Pasqual at 1-1/8 miles and has yet to try the Big ‘Cap distance. Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race 5 times, but not since Game On Dude’s back-to-back scores in 2013-’14. Mike Smith rode Game On Dude to both of those victories as well as Shared Belief in 2015.

#9 Scarlet Fusion (Edwin Maldonado // Joe Sharp )
Joins Warrant and Proxy as New Orleans invaders for Saturday’s main event. This son of Curlin, who sired 2021 Big ‘Cap winner Idol, will be in search of his first career dirt stakes win. He tallied the Grade 3 Connelly Turf Cup on soft grass at Sam Houston 5 weeks ago. Distance will be no factor as he’s won at a mile and one-half marathon trip both on dirt and turf. He gets in light at 117 pounds on the handicap scale.

#10 Tisquantum (Hector Berrios // Rolando Quinonez)
Six-year-old gelding has made only 6 career starts – none of them farther than one mile – and will be taking a big bite of the apple in the Big ‘Cap. He exits back-to-back victories in starter allowance and allowance miles, last earning a notable 96 Beyer Speed Figure over this track. Plenty of pedigree to run on longer, but it will be a question of class. The field’s lightweight carries just 114 pounds.

#11 Proxy (John Velazquez // Mike Stidham)
Grade 1 Clark Handicap winner looks to bounce back after a disappointing fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, where he finished 3 lengths behind Santa Anita Handicap rival Defunded and 7 lengths in arrears to winner Art Collector. Well-bred son of Tapit and Spinster winner Panty Raid will race beyond 1-1/8 miles for the first time while making his first start west of New Orleans. Reunites with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who rode him during the 2021 Triple Crown prep trail.