(Midnight Mammoth / Benoit Photo & Courtesy of Santa Anita Park)

From the Santa Anita Media Team:

VETERAN GRADED WINNER MIDNIGHT MAMMOTH, STAKES WINNER GETAWAY CAR AMONG EVENLY MATCHED FIELD SET FOR SATURDAY’S GRADE II SAN PASQUAL GOING 1 1/8 MILES AT SANTA ANITA

The San Pasqual serves as a lead-in to the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 7

ARCADIA, CA (Jan. 26, 2026)—Veteran graded stakes winner Midnight Mammoth and Getaway Car, winner of last year’s Sunland Derby for trainer Bob Baffert, are among an evenly matched field of older horses set to go 1 1/8 miles in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita.

Midnight Mammoth, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Craig Dollase, is coming off a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure earned in a high-level allowance win going seven furlongs on Jan. 16 at Santa Anita. It was his first start since August when finishing off-the-board in the GI Pacific Classic. Owned by Jeffrey Sengara, Midnight Mammoth is 38 :9-5-7 with $460,380 in earnings. He’ll have regular rider Armando Ayuso in the irons.

Getaway Car won last year’s Sunland Derby in February and then finished fourth as the odds-on favorite in the Virginia Derby a month later at Colonial Downs. He returned after more than eight months on the sidelines Nov. 30 at Del Mar and was off the board in an allowance going 6 ½ furlongs. The winner that day, Bartholdy, is also in the San Pasqual. Getaway Car is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables and partners. The 4-year-old colt by Curlin will have Juan Hernandez aboard.

Pony Express returns for trainer John Sadler following a three-month layoff. When last seen on Nov. 22 at Santa Anita, Pony Express finished second in the one-mile Tokyo City Cup by just three-quarters of a length. A 5-year-old horse by Gun Runner, Pony Express is owned by By Talla Racing, Three Chimneys Farm and West Point Thoroughbreds. Jockey Hector Berrios has the call.

Bartholdy most recently finished third behind Nysos and Nevada Breach in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on opening day Dec. 28. He’s seeking a first stakes win for trainer and co-owner Steve Knapp. Owned by John R. Haagsma, Knapp and John Robert Vanderdussen, Bartholdy is 20: 4-4-7 with $251,720 in earnings. He’ll have regular rider Tyler Baze aboard.

Westwood most recently finished third in the GIII Native Diver at Del Mar behind Nevada Beach and British Isles, the latter of whom on Saturday earned a minor award in the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. Westwood is seeking a first stakes win for trainer John Shirreffs and owner C R K Stable. He’ll be ridden by Kazushi Kimura for the first time.

THE GRADE II SAN PASQUAL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 9 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

  1. Midnight Mammoth—Armando Ayuso—120
  2. Ghazaaly—Emisael Jaramillo—120
  3. Getaway Car—Juan Hernandez—120
  4. Bartholdy—Tyler Baze—120
  5. Pony Express—Hector Berrios—120
  6. Westwood—Kazushi Kimura—124

First post Saturday is 12:30 p.m. PT.