Santa Anita Park announced Saturday that overnight purses for its 2020-21 season, which begins in its traditional Dec. 26 card, will be raised by 10% to a daily average of $533,000. The meet will run through June 20, 2021. Six stakes on opening day include the GI Malibu S., GI La Brea S. and GI American Oaks. Other meet highlights include the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 6 and GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 3. Click for a complete stakes schedule, pending approval by the Thoroughbred Owners of California.
“Building Santa Anita's aggressive overnight purse schedule is a reflection of the confidence that we have in California racing even in the midst of a pandemic,” said Craig Fravel, CEO of 1/ST Racing. “Nothing has been easy about this past year, so we are thankful to the horsemen who have continued to support our program on a daily basis. We've missed the fans who have been absent from our track since March 12th, but we are grateful to be able to bring them the consistent top-quality racing that has been synonymous with Santa Anita since 1934.”
Santa Anita will also be unveiling a new turf chute when the meet begins which will allow for sprints up to 6 1/2 furlongs to be contested over flat ground.
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