Since opening its doors on Christmas Day of 1934, the track has played host to some of the greatest Thoroughbred races ever seen. The Santa Anita Handicap (now a Grade I) was the world’s first continually-run race worth $100,000. The Santa Anita Derby (now a Grade I) has become one of the biggest prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Over the past 89 years, champions from Affirmed to Zenyatta have made their mark at Santa Anita Park.
The 2023 meets already promised high drama; Thoroughbred racing’s year-end championship races, the Breeders’ Cup races, will be held at the Arcadia track on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4. However, fans of Southern California horse racing will be delighted to know that the track’s owners, The Stronach Group, are expanding the track’s racing calendar.
If you are familiar with horse racing picks, then you must also be aware of the importance Santa Anita Park has for racing.
Check out what are the future plans.
Golden Gate Fields
This announcement came on the heels of the news that racing at Golden Gate Fields, a track in Northern California, would be closing following the end of its meet on December 18, 2023. A representative from The Stronach Group, who also owns Golden Gate Fields, said that track officials would then begin “seamlessly transitioning horses from Northern California to Southern California with the goal of increasing field sizes and adding another day of racing to the weekly racing calendar at Santa Anita Park, come January 2024.”
While this will undoubtedly upset local fans who attend races at Golden Gate Fields, there is no doubt that Southern California racing is vastly more prestigious- and more lucrative- than racing in the northern part of the state. While Santa Anita Park hosts 41 graded stakes races annually in addition to events such as the Breeders’ Cup series, Golden Gate Fields only hosts two graded races: the Berkeley Handicap and the San Francisco Mile Stakes, both Grade III.
The Stronach Group also recognized that this will affect people that are currently employed at Golden Gate Fields, and they have pledged to do their utmost to assist these employees throughout this time of transition. Other people who have made their living at the track but are not officially employed by it, such as trainers, owners, and jockeys, will be moved as well. Belinda Stronach issued this statement along with the announcement: “We recognize that the decision will have profound effects on our valued employees as well as the owners, trainers, jockeys and stable personnel at Golden Gate Fields. The Stronach Group is committed to honoring labor obligations and developing a meaningful transition plan.”
Consolidated California Racing
With Golden Gate Fields closing, The Stronach Group hopes to be able to improve racing as an industry for the entire state of California. The idea is not only to concentrate all of their resources into their more financially viable track, Santa Anita Park but to (as stated above) bring southward the horses that would have been running at Golden Gate Fields.
Field sizes in California have been dwindling in recent years, and when races only have a handful of entrants, bettors and viewers often lose interest. Fuller fields make for races that are more fun to watch and vastly more interesting to handicap. A focus on resources can also mean that safety measures are implemented with more fidelity and that specialists such as the top veterinarians in the state can set up a race track “home base” as well.
Author: Lindsay Griffin
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