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 Santa Anita Park race track is a California horse racing landmark located in Arcadia,
in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Santa Anita race track opens annually on December
26, with daily racing continuing through late April. The track also has
a fall
meeting that is presented by the Oak Tree Racing Association, and this
takes place each year from early October thru early November.
Santa
Anita Park race track occupies approximately 320 acres. Its landmark, a 1,100-foot-long
Grandstand seats 26,000 guests. The giant Infield area accommodates many thousands
more. Behind the scenes are 61 barns, capable of housing more than 2,000 horses
and a complete equine hospital.
The track opened its doors for the first time on December 25, 1934. Opening
day attendance was placed at 30,777. The inaugural running of the famed Santa
Anita Handicap took place on February 23, 1935. It was the nation’s first
$100,000 race, a staggering purse for a horse race, and that put Santa Anita
on the horse racing map. The track was home to the legendary horse Seabiscuit,
the winner of the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap.
Racing halted in 1942 during World War II but resumed in 1945. In 1984, the
track was the site of the arena equestrian events of the Summer Olympics and
more than 200,000 people attended the events. On March 3, 1985, the all-time
single-day attendance record was achieved when 85,527 people attended the Santa
Anita Handicap.
Other notable track records are the following:
- Santa Anita record for total amount bet in a single day
(Nov. 6, 1993)
- Amount of money Santa Anita Foundation has
contributed to various charitable / benevolent organizations since 1934.
- Approximate number of people that have passed
through the doors of Santa Anita since Opening Day 1934.
- Total money wagered by Santa Anita patrons
since Opening Day 1934.
Santa Anita Park race track hosts some of the most prominent stakes events including
the San Pasqual Handicap, Monrovia Handicap, Santa Ysabel Stakes, Santa Catalina
Stakes and many more.
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