Santa Anita’s Classic Meet kicks off the historic track’s 88th season of racing on Tuesday with three stakes events – the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1), the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1) and the $300,000 American Oaks (G1T) – taking the spotlight. Three other $200,000 stakes – the Mathis Mile Stakes (G2T), the San Antonio Stakes (G2) and the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) – lend support to the outstanding opening-day card.
Post time on Opening Day has been set for 11:00 a.m. Post time every day through Jan. 6 except Big ‘Cap Day, Super Bowl Sunday and Santa Anita Derby Day will be noon and switches to 12:30 daily through the meet until the final week, which reverts to noon.
“I think we’re all excited to get running again,” Jason Egan, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary, said. “Opening day is always a special day for Santa Anita.
“There aren’t any big deviations, but we are trying a few modifications to some (race) conditions that hopefully fit our program better. Nothing significant, just a few tweaks to hopefully make things flow a little better
Overall, racing will be conducted on a three-day schedule over 78 days through June 16, the Classic Meet ending on April 7 and handing off the action to the Hollywood Meeting. Overall, 90 stakes are set to be contested, highlighted by the 87th running of both $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 2 and the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 6. A total of 53 are graded stakes, with half set to be contested over the turf.
Santa Anita’s Jockey Dream Team & Pulse-Racing Stakes: Get Ready for Action!
The Santa Anita Jockey colony will be loaded with world-class talent this season with international superstar Frankie Dettori putting off retirement to join past riding champs Juan Hernandez, Flavien Prat and Joel Rosario, and Antonio Fresu, Kazushi Kimura, Umberto Rispoli and many more,
On Santa Anita Derby Day, 3-year-old fillies hopeful to be headed to the Kentucky Oaks will race in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), older fillies and mares will run in the $100,000 Monrovia Stakes (G3T), and two races for California-bred sophomores — the $125,000 Echo Eddie Stakes and the $125,000 Evening Jewel Stakes – will also be on offer.
Santa Anita’s Betting Bonanza: Diverse Options Await Horseplayers
Speaking of California-breds, Santa Anita will offer a total of 16 stakes restricted to runners bred in the Golden State, with five of them to be run both on California Cup Day on Jan. 13 and on California Gold Rush Day on May 25.
The 29-day Hollywood Meet will be highlighted by three Memorial Day on Monday, May 27 and will feature the $300,000 Gamely Stakes (G1T), the Shoemaker Mile (G1T) and Hollywood Gold Cup (G1).
The 85th running of the $100,000 San Juan Capistrano (G3T) ends the six months of racing at the Great Race Place on June 16.
A wide variety of betting options will greet horseplayers at Santa Anita this year. In addition to the traditional wagers, the track will offer an all-turf Pick 3 each day and a Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 every Saturday and Sunday beginning on Jan. 6. The all-turf Pick 3 is a $3 minimum wager offered on the final three turf races of the day and the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 is a $1 minimum wager with a player-friendly 15 percent takeout. The sequence will include races from both Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
Additionally, Santa Anita will offer a traditional $1 Pick 6 every race day.