Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park Racecourse is situated in 320 acres in Arcadia, California on the West Coast of the United States, against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains. The racecourse was established in 1934, under the auspices of the Los Angeles Turf Club, and has the distinction of being the oldest racecourse in southern California. In recent years, Santa Anita Park has become synonymous with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which have already been held at the course six times, most recently in 2012, and are due to return again in 2013 and 2014.

 

Course Characteristics

The main track at Santa Anita Park is a left-handed, dirt oval, one mile in circumference with a home straight of just 1½ furlongs. The turf track, which runs inside the main track, is a little over 7 furlongs in circumference. Santa Anita Park is also home to a unique hillside track, known as El Camino Real or, in English, “The Royal Road”, which is 6½ furlongs long and features the only right-handed bend in American horse racing.

 

Track Facts

The fifteen races that constitute the Breeders’ Cup are worth a total of $26 million in prize money.

The Santa Anita Handicap, run over a mile and a quarter in March, was established in 1935 and remains the oldest continuously run stakes race worth $100,000 or more in the country.

Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring Meeting traditionally starts on Boxing Day and goes on until April.

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