Stilleto Boy ‘looks like a million bucks’ before Big ‘Cap at Santa Anita

Trainer Ed Moger Jr. gave a glowing report on Stilleto Boy some 48 hours from Saturday’s 86th running of the $500,000 Grade I Big ’Cap at Santa Anita.

“He’s doing great. He’s been training awesome,” Moger told the Southern California News Group. “He went to the Pegasus (at Gulfstream Park) and it was actually kind of hard on him, but he actually came out of it great. He’s got good weight on him. He’s ready to roll. He looks like a million bucks. He’s ready to run.”

If that’s the case, the other 10 horses in the Big ’Cap might be in a little bit of trouble. Stilleto Boy might not be the best horse in the race, but the fields he’s run against have been mostly top-notch.

Consider: In last year’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, Stilleto Boy finished third behind a couple of horses you might have heard of – Life Is Good and Knicks Go.

“The only horses that have beaten him are great horses,” Moger said. “Life Is Good, Flightline, Knicks Go … those are the horses that have beaten him. Country Grammer. Those are the only horses that have ever beaten him. No slouch horses on the list.”

This year, the 5-year-old gelded son of Shackleford finished third in the Pegasus behind Art Collector and Defunded, the latter of which is also running in Saturday’s Big ’Cap. The race drew its largest field since 13 went postward in the 2015 running when the late Shared Belief won the race.

Moger believes both runnings of the Pegasus were the best races Stilleto Boy has run since his brother, Steve, bought him for $420,000 at a horse sale shortly after he won the Iowa Derby in 2021.

“I think they were both really good,” he said.

This year, Stilleto Boy broke from the 11th post in a 12-horse field, severely hindering his chances for victory with Mike Smith aboard. But the third-place finish this year raised his career earnings to $1.4 million, the top figure among the Big ’Cap starters. He also recorded the fastest Beyer Speed Figure of the group with a 108 while winning last year’s Californian Stakes at Santa Anita.

Moger, based in Northern California, believes Stilleto Boy is as good as ever. He believes in the theory that horses get better as they age.

“I think they get better if they’re taken care of when they’re younger,” he said. “If everything goes good and they stay sound, I think age 5 is probably their best year.”

Stilleto Boy has finished in the money in five of his six races at Santa Anita, showing he has a fondness for the surface.

“I think he likes it because he shows some tactical speed,” Moger said. “It seems like that’s pretty good at Santa Anita. Closers don’t do that well at Santa Anita. In the back of my mind, I think it’s one of the easier fields he’s been with, but I think it’s gonna be plenty tough.”

Tough enough that Defunded is the 7-2 favorite on Jon White’s morning line, followed by a pair of shippers – last year’s Big ’Cap runner-up Warrant and Proxy, both listed at 4-1. Stilleto Boy is 5-1 and Newgrange is fifth at 6-1.

A “real character” around the barn and “nice to be around,” Moger said Stilleto Boy will continue to run until he shows he’s had enough.

Related Articles

“As long as he’s healthy and he likes it, we’ll keep going,” Moger said.

Kent Desormeaux, who won the Big ’Cap with Milwaukee Brew in 2002 and Best Pal in 1992, has the mount Saturday on Stilleto Boy for the first time since the 2021 Malibu Stakes, when he finished a distant third in one of Flightline’s six career victories.

“Kent loves the horse and I think he fits him well,” Moger said.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73