by Mike Curry

Grade 1 winners Tiago, Student Council, and Great Hunter headline an accomplished cast slated to contest the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

The 1 1/4-mile race for older horses on Santa Anita's all-weather surface drew a full field of 14 contenders.

Tiago, winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Goodwood Stakes (G1) last year, and multiple graded stakes winner Monterey Jazz each were assigned high weight of 119 pounds for the 71st edition of the Big ‘Cap.

Jerry and Ann Moss’s homebred Tiago, who finished third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) last year, is winless in three starts since the Goodwood.

The Pleasant Tap colt, a half brother to 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Giacomo, closed his three-year-old season with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1).

Trained by John Shirreffs, Tiago was third in the San Fernando Stakes (G2) on January 12 at Santa Anita in his season debut and enters off a runner-up finish on February 2 in the Strub Stakes (G2), won by Monterey Jazz.

Monterey Jazz totes a three-race winning streak into the Santa Anita Handicap. He capped his three-year-old campaign with a victory in the Sir Beaufort Stakes (G3) on December 26 at Santa Anita and won the Strub in his four-year-old bow.

San Fernando winner Air Commander also will contest the Big ‘Cap.

Student Council, a six-year-old Kingmambo horse trained by Vladimir Cerin, won the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (G2) last year. He enters off an unplaced finish in the San Antonio Handicap (G2) on February 9.

Great Hunter enters off a fourth-place finish in the Strub. The four-year-old Aptitude colt is winless in five starts since he won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) in March 2007.

Grade 2 winner Awesome Gem, third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, finished third in his season debut in the San Antonio. The Santa Anita Handicap also drew San Antonio runner-up Heatseeker (Ire).

Champs Elysees (GB), winner of the San Marcos Stakes (G2) on January 19, will make his first start on the main track in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Trained by Bobby Frankel, the five-year-old Danehill horse is a full brother to champions Intercontinental (GB) and Banks Hill (GB) and Group 2 winner Dansili (GB), a leading sire in France.

“He trains good on the synthetic surface, and the way this race track is playing, I think he’s got a chance,” Frankel said. “His full brother is Dansili, one of the leading sires in Europe, and he’s the leading all-weather sire over there.”

Other Santa Anita Handicap contenders include Grade 2 winners Go Between, Zappa, and Medici Code (GB).

Mike Curry is Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor

The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:

1. Champs Elysees [GB] (Danehill), Ramon A. Dominguez, 117, Robert J. Frankel;

2. Tiago (Pleasant Tap), Mike E. Smith, 119, John A. Shirreffs;

3. Big Booster (Accelerator), Michael C. Baze, 115, Mike R. Mitchell;

4. Medici Code [GB] (Medicean [GB]), Martin A. Pedroza, 115, Darrell Vienna;

5. Awesome Gem (Awesome Again), David Romero Flores, 117, Craig Dollase;

6. Monterey Jazz (Thunderello), Russell A. Baze, 119, Craig Dollase;

7. Zappa (Afternoon Deelites), Joel Rosario, 114, John W. Sadler;

8. Seminole Native (Lil Tyler), Jose Valdivia, Jr., 113, Jorge Gutierrez;

9. Celtic Dreamin (Game Plan), Alex O. Solis, 115, Rafael Becerra;

10. Heatseeker [IRE] (Giant's Causeway), Rafael Bejarano, 116, Jerry Hollendorfer;

11. Student Council (Kingmambo), Richard Migliore, 117, Vladimir Cerin;

12. Go Between (Point Given), Garrett K. Gomez, 118, William I. Mott;

13. Great Hunter (Aptitude), Victor Espinoza, 115, Doug F. O'Neill; and

14. Air Commander (Point Given), Aaron T. Gryder, 116, Bob Baffert.