Combatant

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing’s Combatant finished second to Mourinho in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 15, earning four qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The Scat Daddy colt won his second career start in fall 2016 before finishing second to Greyvitos in the Springboard Mile to close out his juvenile campaign. He also picked up four Derby points with that effort.

In his next start, Combatant again ran second to a West Coast horse in a Derby prep at Oaklawn, this time to My Boy Jack. He earned another four Derby points in the race. He followed with a hard-fought third-place finish in the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel Stakes to improve his position on the Triple Crown trail.

Combatant finished fourth in the Arkansas Derby, his next prep. He then earned a starting spot in the Kentucky Derby after a couple of defections but drew the 20^th post position and was not a factor in the race, finishing 18^th.

Combatant won a pair of allowance races and placed in multiple stakes over the next year and a half, but he was offered as a racehorse in training at the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale and purchased by Hronis Racing and transferred to John Sadler.

Combatant ran third in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes in his first race for Sadler before he earned a breakthrough victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, 2020. He stalked the pace in the Big 'Cap and held off a late rally from Multiplier to prevail by a neck and give Hromis Racing and Sadler their third straight win in the historic race.