Santa Anita Race Track
Situated in sunny southern California, Santa Anita Park is nestled in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains and is one of the United States’ (and the World’s) most storied horse racing facilities. It has held the Breeders’ Cup World Championships seven times and will again in 2014.
Santa Anita Park Track Layout
Along with the usual dirt and turf ovals, Santa Anita also features a unique "downhill turf" course, used often for turf races of under one mile. The course has a slight right hand bend out of the gate, and then crosses the main track into the stretch.
Track History & Facts
Santa Anita Park, also known as Santa Anita Race Track ran their first race on December 25, 1934 with an estimated 30,777 horse racing fans in attendance. It is the oldest racetrack in Southern California and its famed facade, built in 1933, still stands today. Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin opened the first Santa Anita Park in December 1907 with an inaugural 108-day winter meet. Baldwin accumulated 63,000 acres of land, now Monrovia and Arcadia CA, which includes the area that Santa Anita sits on today. Baldwin was an active horseman and a co-founder of the Los Angeles Turf Club.
Santa Anita has always been home to horse racing legends and famous people alike. No one will ever forget thoroughbred great Seabiscuit who won the Santa Anita Handicap in 1940 in what would be the final race of his legendary career. A bronze statue of the horse that gave people hope in the depression era stands in the famed Walking Ring at the track. Silky Sullivan, with Bill Shoemaker on board, captured the 1958 Santa Anita Derby in grand fashion. Silky dropped 28 lengths off the pace after five furlongs, but when "The Shoe" asked him to "go" he swept by the field and won the race going away.
Many Hollywood stars have graced Santa Anita past and present. Legends like Errol Flynn, Bing Crosby and Spencer Tracy were horse owners. Jack Benny, Frank Capra and Fred Astaire were box owners at the track. Today, legends like Jack Nicholson, Cybil Sheppard and Joe Pesci come out to the park to cheer on the horses. The track has been featured in countless movies and was home to the epic equestrian events during the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Santa Anita Betting Odds
When you can’t get to the track, wagering through an online racebook is the best way to get in on the action. Our recommended racebooks give competitive odds, and guaranteed customer service.
