Classic Meet

Saturday's Santa Anita Derby day showed large increases over 2024 with the all sources handle totaling $22,388,003 and wagering on just the marquee race up by nearly 24 per cent, according to a press release by the track. Bolstered by a big turnout from the Derby Day 5K, the on-track attendance came in at 34,312, a seven per cent jump from last season. It was the largest turnout since 2018. Both the all sources handle and on track attendance are expected to finish the Classic Meet Sunday up by noteworthy...

Santa Anita continues to report gains in both on-track attendance and total all-sources handle as the track prepares for the final weekend of its Classic meet. The season kicked off Dec. 26 with the largest non-weekend or holiday opening day crowd in 34 years. To date, Santa Anita has hosted more than 293,000 visitors during the Classic Meet, a gain of more than 8% over last year. Last weekend's on-track crowd was up over 30%. The total all-sources mutuel handle, paced by the opening day number of more than $21.4...

Kazushi Kimura is set to make his return and will begin riding horses during morning training toward the end of next week, Santa Anita revealed via press release Sunday afternoon. Sidelined for more than two months after suffering a lower leg injury in a starting gate incident back in mid-January, his agent Brian Beach said Kimura will begin getting on horses for morning works next week and will return for the new condition book that runs through the end of the Classic Meet Apr. 6. "He's a really hard worker...

Strong gains in attendance and handle have bolstered Santa Anita Park's figures as the 90-year-old oval heads into the final six weeks of its Classic Meet, the track said in a release on Wednesday. On-track attendance is up over 9% from last season, hosting more than 203,000 visitors through last weekend. The handle bet on-track is up 4% from last year. Overall, the total all-sources handle to date is over $268-million, which is an increase from last year. The addition of horses from Northern California horses has been impactful, with...

Through the first six weeks of the Classic Meet, Santa Anita Park posted gains over a strong first weekend in February.  Through last weekend, the Classic Meet maintained increases in both on-track attendance and total all-sources handle for the season, which opened on Dec. 26. Wagering is up more than 7% as total all-sources handle exceeded $185 million. The business increases are despite the track being closed for a week due to the impact of the Eaton Fire on the local community. Additionally, the weekend of Jan. 10-12 racing was...

Manuel B. of Garden Grove, CA, who participated in Santa Anita's Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotion, won the grand prize of $10,000, Santa Anita announced Saturday. Manuel, who has regularly attended Santa Anita for more than 15 years, said he has participated in every previous Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotion and had only cashed $2 or $5 tickets. He said he loves Santa Anita and playing the horses. Manuel added he plans to use the $10,000 toward the purchase of a new car. All Santa Anita 1/ST REWARDS members receive direct mailers...

The traditional $2 Pick Six and a diverse set of wagers highlight the betting menu on offer for Santa Anita's 90th year, which begins with the Classic Meet on Thursday, Dec. 26, 1/ST Racing & Gaming said in a press release on Friday. Santa Anita made several changes to its wagering menu including raising the minimum bet for the Pick Six and adding what they describe as low-takeout wagers prior to the most recent Santa Anita Autumn Meet. Each will remain in place for both the Classic Meet, which ends...

The 2024-2025 stakes schedule at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, will feature 79 added-money events over a total of 78 race dates, topped by the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GI Santa Anita Derby. The Big 'Cap, worth $400,000 in 2024, will offer prize money of $300,000 this year, while the purse of the Santa Anita Derby has been cut to $500,000 from $750,000. On the flipside, the purses on offer for overnight races are above what was offered last spring and autumn, with four allowance and maiden...

Santa Anita's Classic Meet will get off to its traditional fast start Dec. 26 with a trio of Grade I events each worth $300,000--the GI Malibu S., GI La Brea S., and GI American Oaks--and the track will continue racing through June 16 with a total of 90 stakes scheduled for the 78 race days. Those 90 stakes races include 53 graded events, with 10 Grade I races highlighted by the 87th running of the $400,000 GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 2 and the $750,000 GI Santa Anita Derby Apr....

Juan Hernandez was the leading rider and Phil D'Amato topped the trainer's list at Santa Anita's 43-day Classic Meet, which concluded Sunday. Tim and Mark Cohen's Rancho Temescal and Red Baron's Barn were the meet's leading owners. Hernandez, a 31-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico won four races on opening day and never slowed down, adding two races on closing day Sunday to give him 63 victories for the meet, more than double that of runner-up Flavien Prat's 31. In the all-important stakes-won category, it was Hernandez leading Prat 13 to...