Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Dec. 29, 2025

Jason discusses opening day at Santa Anita and shares some memories from the Great Race Place. 

A good Monday morning to you all and I hope everyone had a nice holiday. With my family being up in the Pacific Northwest, Christmas isn’t quite what it used to be as I’m 3,000 miles away. But I had a nice holiday and enjoyed the weather by going to the beach of all places. It was a great day, and I hope yours was as well. 

Of course, this year our annual tradition for the day after Christmas got delayed as Santa Anita and Southern California got hit with a big post-holiday storm. To be honest, for me, it worked out great as I was off on Sunday and was able to watch the entire opening day card and enjoy it as a fan. It was a great card with some big performances. For me, the big field races on the turf at Santa Anita are among my favorite races anywhere. 

I was thinking back to just before the new year of 1998 started, when my dad and I visited Santa Anita. We had gone down for the Rose Bowl game that was on New Year’s Day, and the day before, we went to Santa Anita.

I remember walking up the stairs by the paddock and seeing the expanse of the mountains and the infield as we walked out onto the apron. My dad paused and looked around and said out loud, “Now this is a racetrack.” That moment always has stuck with me, and every time I go to Santa Anita, I always try to go to that same spot and relive that moment, just to remember my dad and this amazing place. 

Maybe it’s from being a West Coaster most of my life, but Santa Anita has always seemed like the most special racetrack to me, outside of Longacres from my childhood. Everyone in Washington and Oregon racing always aspired to go there. We always took such pride that Gary Stevens went from our tracks to go and have a huge career in Southern California. Even when I worked at Portland Meadows, Santa Anita was always our number one track for simulcast bettors. 

One of my favorite little Santa Anita things is when they show the loading of the horses from a ground-level camera person. It always makes the equine athletes look so big and impressive, and to me it’s a very classic Santa Anita thing. Sometimes it’s those little touches, whether in person or on the simulcast signal, that can make a track special or unique. That camera angle of the horses loading in for the first race on a Saturday at Santa Anita is like a peak little moment for me. Just so cool. 

It’s also very cool to hear Frank Mirahmadi calling those races because I know how special it is for him. I even told him, “Saratoga is great and all, but this is my favorite day to hear you call.” And it’s true.

I think guys or gals getting to call at their home tracks is always just a bit more special. Half the reason so many of us get into calling races is because going to the track with our families growing up was important. I think about that all the time at Tampa when I look down and the apron is full of people, as it was this whole last week. There are kids down there with their parents that are having so much fun, and hopefully those days will be special memories for them as they get older. 

Hope everyone has a great last week of 2025, and we’ll see you in the new year!