Gift Box held off odds-on favorite McKinzie to win the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap by a nose on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Gift Box and jockey Joel Rosario pressed the pace set by Prime  Attraction, took over at the quarter pole, only to be collared by 2-5 favorite McKinzie and jockey Mike Smith near the eighth pole. McKinzie appeared to have the momentum on the outside, but Gift Box fought back inside to win the mile and a quarter race in 2:03.02. Mongolian Groom finished third, followed by Campaign, Prime Attraction and Prince of Arabia.

The Big ’Cap victory was the second straight for trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing, who won the race in 2018 with Accelerate. It was the first Big 'Cap victory for Rosario.

Gift Box was purchased privately last fall; the Big 'Cap was his second start for Hronis.  The 6-year-old son of Twirling Candy won the Grade 2 San Antonio on Dec. 26.