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.