racetracks > Santa Anita

 

 

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park is one of the most famous race tracks in the world. Located in Arcadia, California just outside of Los Angeles, the track is able to offer year-round racing thanks to favorable weather. Currently owned and operated by the Stronach Group, the park has been open since December 25th, 1934.

Some of the most notable stakes and handicap races hosted by Santa Anita are:

Santa Anita Derby	La Brea Stakes	San Pasqual Handicap
FrontRunner Stakes	Awesome Again Stakes	Santa Maria Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap	Las Virgenes Stakes	San Vicente Stakes
Santa Anita Oaks	Zenyatta Stakes	Summertime Oaks
Malibu Stakes	American Oaks	Adoration Stakes
Chandelier Stakes	La Canada Stakes	Affirmed Handicap
Goldikova Stakes	San Felipe Stakes	Robert B. Lewis Stakes

 

2017 Santa Anita Season

Santa Anita features racing on most weekends through the winter, with some exceptions to allow for
track maintenance and upkeep. Here are some of the highlights for the remainder of the 2017 calendar
year. Below is the majority of the important, graded stakes races hosted by the famous California
racetrack.

Friday, September 29th

Eddie D Stakes
$100,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 6 ½ Furlongs Turf

Saturday, September 30th
 
Awesome Again Stakes
$300,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 9 Furlongs

Chandelier Stakes
$300,000 – 2 Year Old Fillies – 8 ½ Furlongs

Frontrunner Stakes
$300,000 – 2 Year Olds – 8 ½ Furlongs

Rodeo Drive Stakes
$300,000 – 3+ Year Old Fillies & Mares – 10 Furlongs Turf

Zenyatta Stakes
$300,000 – 3+ year Old Fillies & Mares – 8 ½ Furlongs

Saturday, October 7th

Santa Anita Sprint Championship
$300,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 6 Furlongs

Sunday, October 29th

Autumn Miss Stakes
$100,000 – 3 Year Old Fillies – 8 Furlongs Turf

Thursday, November 2nd

Big Bear Stakes
$80,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 8 Furlongs

Friday, November 3rd

Marathon Stakes
$200,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 14 Furlongs

Damascus Stakes
$100,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 7 Furlongs

Twilight Derby
$200,000 – 3 Year Olds – 9 Furlongs Turf

Golden State Juvenile Fillies
$200,000 – 2 Year Old Fillies – 7 Furlongs

Saturday November 4th

Senator Ken Maddy Stakes
$100,000 – 3+ Year Olds – 6 ½ Furlongs Turf

Golden State Juvenile
$200,000 – 2 Year Olds – 6 Furlongs

Sunday, November 5th

Goldikova Stakes
$200,000 – 3+ Year Olds Fillies and Mares – 8 Furlongs Turf

Tuesday, December 26th

La Brea Stakes
$300,000 – 3 Year Olds Fillies – 7 Furlongs

Malibu Stakes
$300,000 – 3 Year Olds – 7 Furlongs

San Simeon Stakes
$100,000 – 4+ Year Olds – 6 ½ Furlongs

Mathis Brothers Mile
$200,000 – 3 Year Olds – 8 Furlongs Turf

Saturday, December 30th

American Oaks
$300,000 – 3 Year Old Fillies – 10 Furlongs Turf

 

SANTA ANITA RACETRACK INFORMATION

Main track (Dirt): 1-mile, oval
Length of stretch from last turn to finish line: 990 feet
Composition: Dirt Track
Turf: 7 furlongs plus 132 feet (9/10 of a mile) with a hillside turf course for 6 1/2-furlong turf races

 

ABOUT SANTA ANITA PARK RACETRACK

Santa Anita Park covers 320 acres, includes stable accommodations for 1,800 thoroughbreds, and features a 1-mile main horse racetrack, a seven-furlong turf course and a six-furlong training track.

Opened in 1934 and designed by Gordon Kaufmann, architect of the Hoover Dam, Santa Anita is an eclectic art-deco masterpiece that blends Streamline Modern with American Colonial, Spanish Revival and even New Orleans styles. It features lush manicured green lawns, meticulously tended colorful gardens and historically significant architecture, all nestled against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Santa Anita Racetrack has a fascinating history. Home of the 1984 Olympics equestrian competitions, the track has served as the site of countless prestigious races and it has witnessed dozens of racing legends. Movie buffs will also recognize Santa Anita in the classic Shirley Temple film The Story of Seabiscuit.

The track suffered a brief dark period during World War II when it became an assembly center, providing temporary housing for 20,000 Japanese Americans awaiting relocation to internment camps.

Santa Anita offers an exciting day for racing fans and tourists alike. The track sponsors numerous special events during its season, including wine and beer tastings, and twilight racing. It also offers fabulous dining options, including the prestigious clubhouse, in addition to the Frontrunner Restaurant. Overlooking the finish line, The Frontrunner Restaurant is a glass-enclosed facility with tiered seating and a flawless track view for 525 people.

Early in 2007, Santa Anita Park Racetrack management selected a synthetic Cushion Track racing surface, which has drawn rave reviews at Hollywood Park, to replace the former one-mile dirt track. Cushion Track is a mixture of silica sand, synthetic fibers, elastic fiber, granulated rubber and a wax coating. The new Cushion Track opened for training on September 4, 2007, just in time for the opening of the 39th Oak Tree Racing meet on September 26th.

On July 11, 2014 Santa Anita changed course and replaced their main track with 20,000-plus yards of dirt. The fall meet opened Sept. 26 and hosted the Breeders’ Cup for a third consecutive year.