ARCADIA, Calif. - Before he won Saturday’s Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita aboard Newgrange, Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza had gone three months since his last graded stakes win. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good horse like this,” Espinoza said. Espinoza, 51, had one mount on Saturday’s nine-race program at Santa Anita. He made the most of his ride on Newgrange, coaxing the 5-year-old horse to the lead and staying in front throughout to prevail by a length in the $201,000 race for older horses at 1 1/8 miles. The second choice in a field of seven, Newgrange ($6.20) was timed in 1:49.26 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. “I knew I had the best horse in the race,” Espinoza said. “I was pretty confident the whole way around.” For Newgrange, the win was a prep for a possible start in the $12 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 30. Newgrange, by Violence, surpassed a million dollars in earnings on Saturday. Since the summer of 2022, Newgrange has raced for the partnership of David Bernsen, the Little Red Feather Racing partnership, and Rockingham Ranch. He is trained by Phil D’Amato. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Espinoza rode Newgrange for the first time in a race in the San Pasqual. On Jan. 20, Espinoza was aboard Newgrange for a quick five-furlong workout in 59 seconds, the fastest work of the morning at the distance. “I was looking forward to this race,” Espinoza said. Newgrange had a half-length lead over 11-1 Mixto on the first turn after an opening quarter-mile in 23.27 seconds, and led by a length over that rival through a half-mile in 47.55. Mixto got within a half-length of Newgrange on the turn, but could not sustain the threat. Newgate, the 8-5 favorite, closed from fourth on the first turn to pose a threat in early stretch, but finished a length behind the winner under jockey Joel Rosario. “The horse in front was tough,” Rosario said. Mixto held third, followed by Two Rivers Over, Mr Fisk, I’mgonnabesomebody, and Stilleto Boy. On the backstretch, Espinoza said Newgrange’s stride gave him confidence. “He was doing it so easy,” Espinoza said. “His rhythm was so nice and so comfortable. I felt I had a lot of power. It’s the best feeling when you ride that kind of horse.” The San Pasqual was Espinoza’s first stakes win since Balladeer won the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita in early October. Newgrange began his career with trainer Bob Baffert, winning two Grade 3 stakes for 3-year-olds in early 2022 – the $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita and the $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He was later sixth in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in his final start for Baffert. Newgrange was purchased by his current owners for $325,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale in Kentucky. Newgrange is now 7 of 13 with earnings of $1,007,634. Newgrange won the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, opening day of the current winter-spring meeting. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.