The Big 'Cap is Weekend Feature Race

Several of last year’s top horses will be racing this weekend, including Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge, who staged a thrilling battle last fall in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, where MMM held on to win by a nose over the hard-charging WTC. The two rivals will go head-to-head again on Saturday in the $750,000 Grade I Santa Anita Handicap, for horses four-years-old and up racing 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. The race is the fifth of five stakes races on the Saturday card at Santa Anita.

Top contenders both have wins since BC Classic

Mucho Macho Man, a six-year-old Florida bred son of Macho Uno, comes in to the race off a dominating 14-length win over state-breds in the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream. Including the BC Classic, it was his third straight win dating back to the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita last September. He has nine wins in 24 career starts, including five graded-stakes wins. Will Take Charge, meanwhile, followed up the BC loss with a win in the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill, and was second in his only start so far in 2014, the Grade I Donn Handicap at Gulfstream.

Game On Dude tries for historic third title

Other contenders hoping to get a piece of the ticket include Game On Dude, winner of the ‘Cap last year and in 2011 will try for a record third win. After five consecutive graded-stakes wins last year, he was a well beaten ninth in the BC Classic and has struggled since then, finishing behind WTC in the Clark, and fading to fifth in his last start, the Grade II San Antonio Stakes. The winner of that one, Blingo, is here as well, as is the second-place finisher, Imperative.