Controversial proposed barn expansion in Arcadia undergoes public review. Santa Anita Park seeks to expand horse stabling with 816 stalls and ancillary services, such as 70 tack and 70 feed storage bins, 36 office spaces, employee cafe and recreation area, a 2-story 27,360 square feet grooms' building (with 104 dormitory units) and a 14,450 square feet covered manure transfer facility.
In a racing first, Santa Anita Park has designated a popular four-footed staffer as Employee of the Week--"Homestead Sally"--a 2,000 pound Clydesdale. She works in the afternoon pulling one of their carriages for racing officials.
Santa Anita Derby runs today. A race horse named Creative Cause is the 6-to-5 favorite to win today and may be the West Coast's top Kentucky Derby prospect. With Jockey Joel Rosario (photo).
Santa Anita Derby has top field. Fan favorite race horse named Dortmund is among the natioin's top three-year-olds seeking a shot at the Triple Crown. The Santa Anita Derby is the final and most important Kentucky Derby prep race on the West Coast.
Westfield mall properties in West Covina, Sherman Oaks, Arcadia, and Palm Desert, have a new tenant--Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries. Forest Lawn has information carts in malls in a new marketing effort.
Santa Anita Park attacks fatal toll through technology. It is the first race track to use the Mile-Pet scanner, developed by the veterinary medicine department at UC Davis. Its purpose is to find things inside a horse's legs and ankles that will cause a problem. It will not eliminate tragic outcomes on the race track but the hope is it will improve safety, keeping unfit horses in the barn and reduce the horse death toll.
Stronach Group names Joe Morris, Senior VP of West Coast Operations, effective November 9, 2015. He will oversee operations at Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields, and San Luis Rey Training Center and will report to Keith Brackpool.
Marriott seeks two hotels in Arcadia. Andrew Chang, of Continental Assets Management, and owner of Santa Anita Inn, is proposing to build two Marriott hotels on the property. His proposal seeks to add 110 rooms to the West Huntington Drive property and would include a six-story Residence Inn and a four-story Fairfield Inn and Suites (Marriott brands). The Santa Anita Inn was built in 1955. The project will require approval from the Planning Commission and City Council.
Arcadia Seabiscuit Pacifica Project-Phase 2 calls for revised mixed-use project. Arcadia City Council decided on July 3 they want to see more artists' renderings of what Phase 2 will ultimately look like, before going ahead with the $300 million hotel project on the former Santa Anita inn site. The applicant Chateau Group is also requesting to merge the two abutting properties a 100 and 180 West Huntington Drive into the Specific Plan area and change the General Plan Land use Designation from "Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Downtown Mixed Use," to revise the General Plan Land Use Map to reflect the changes, rezone the properties from "General Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Seabiscuit Pacifica Specific Plan," and include a Height Overlay of H8 on 180 West Huntington Drive to allow a portion of the mixed-use building on that property. The Santa Anita Inn was a 2-story hotel comprised of 6 buildings, 110 rooms, 34,775 s.f., that was originally constructed in 1955 and remodeled in 1985.
Santa Anita Derby Millionaire contest returns to Santa Anita Park. Six contestants will get the chance to win $1,000,000 on one wager. The track will provide $1000 bets on each horse in the race. Whichever horse wins, the contestant keeps all the money and is assigned the same horse for the Kentucky Derby. If that horse goes on to win the Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, that fan would win a one million dollar jackpot.
The 134th Santa Anita Derby took place yesterday. Jockey Joseph Talamo rode race horse Sidney's Candy to victory in the Grade I $750,000 race. The runner up was Setsuko and Lookin At Lucky finished third.
Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Santa Anita Park race track, which is in bankruptcy reorganization hearings, filed a plan that would cancel its 2005 agreement with Rick Caruso to develop the 830,000 square feet Shops at Santa Anita on the race track's south parking lot. Caruso filed an objection to the move in bankruptcy court, citing "substantial economic harm" to Santa Anita Associates, LLC, the legal entity that was going to develop the project. Santa Anita LLC has so far invested over $25 million to the project's development. Caruso is committed to developing the project in Arcadia. If the contract is indeed terminated between the parties, Magna would have to start from scratch with new plans, new environmental impact reports, and new hearings to propose another development.
Santa Anita Park backstretch workers voice concerns and support of new best practices and reforms that establish a new standard for the humane treatment of race horses they care for and love.
Santa Anita Park's Derby Day 5K race brings out over 5,500 runners, the largest turnout in the race's 20-year history. The 5K is a fundraiser, with approximately $10,000 raised for Arcadia Historical Museum, Arcadia High School and CARMA, an organization devoted to caring for retired horses.
Aaron Sharp of Port Hueneme posted a time of 15:01 to win his third straight Santa Anita Derby Day 5K at Santa Anita Park last Saturday. It was the 20th anniversary of the race.
Security for Santa Anita Derby to be increased as the track continues its efforts to eradicate illegal drugs from the sport. Santa Anita Park will have security guards at the stalls of the nine entrants in the Derby, 72 hours in advance of the race.