Johnny Longden, the Hall of Fame jockey who rode Count Fleet to the Triple Crown in 1943 and was the first rider to win 6000 races, died on Feb. 14. Services will be held on February 24 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Arcadia.
Lava Man, with exercise rider Tony Romero, takes a jog on the Santa Anita Park race track's new surface, a Cushion Track that cost more than $10 million.
Filmmakers will spend 5 weeks on a location shoot at Santa Anita Park for "Seabiscuit," a movie about the legendary horse that captured national attention in the 1930's.
Santa Anita Park race track will unveil a 1000-pound bronze statue of popular race horse John Henry and a historical marker covering 75 years of the race track's history, as part of its 75th anniversary this Saturday. The bronze statue cost more than $100,000. The marker was done by the Arcadia Historical Society.
An Arcadia resident for 35 years and married 40 years to world famous jockey Johnny Longden, Hazel Longden was one of the first women to become a licensed horse trainer. She is the first woman to train a stakes winner at Santa Anita Park.
Life is Sweet (race horse) was the winner of the Grade I $2 million Ladies' Classic at the Breeders' Cup XXVI. Rider Garrett Gomez and Life is Sweet are shown in a photo. More recap and news is in an accompanying article "Europeans seek another Classic performance."
After a 13-hour meeting, Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to approve the outdoor mall to be built on the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot, a development known as The Shops at Santa Anita. Opponents may push a referendum and possibly file lawsuits to block the project.
Santa Anita Park race track's CEO and President Ron Charles said Santa Anita Park race track will not be sold to help Magnum Entertainment Corporation eliminate a $600-million-plus debt. However, Santa Anita Park race track is entertaining discussions with Magnum Entertainment Corporation concerning potential partnerships or joint ventures on a minority interest basis. Includes a historical timeline.
Santa Anita Park race track president Ron Charles discusses drainage problems in the Cushion Track and promises that opening day will go on as scheduled.
The latest thing on the cat show circuit is an agility contest for cats as demonstrated by the Kat Knappers Cat Club at the Santa Anita Park race track.