Santa Anita Park race track attendance is on the upswing. It drew 40,810 on Friday, its biggest opening day turnout since 2011. On-track attendance was up 33% over last year, partly because of the free infield admission program, which drew more than 10,000 people. Total wagering, including bets placed from all over the country, rose nearly 30% to more than $17 million. On-site betting was more than $3.4 million. The City of Arcadia gets 1/3 of 1% of all on-site wagering.
Santa Anita Park and City of Hope are joining forces to raise money to fight cancer with the first "On Track to Beat Cancer" walk, this Sunday at the race track. It is a 1/4 fundraising walk. All proceeds raised will go toward City of Hope's Women's Cancer Program for research, treatment and education.
Santa Anita Park has live-racing for the first time on the same day as Kentucky Derby. The track will be rooting for Santa Anita Derby winner California Chrome, a California-bred race horse.
If Oak Tree is not held at Santa Anita Park this fall, as it has for the last 41 years, it would be a significant hit to the city of Arcadia and the region, city officials said. Last year, the city of Arcadia made $185,000 from the Oak Tree meet's betting handle. In addition, the city would suffer the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in sales tax and hotel bed tax revenue. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied Oak Tree Racing Association's request to run its five-week fall meet at Santa Anita Park after horse owners, trainers, and a racetrack expert expressed concerns about the synthetic surface. Oak Tree officials say they are moving forward to make arrangements to run the meet at Hollywood Park.
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.
Developer Rick Caruso of Caruso Affiliated is no longer pursuing a deal with Santa Anita Park owners MI Developments to develop an outdoor mall in the race track's parking lot. The project was known as The Shops at Santa Anita. Caruso said, "We're not pursuing it, because of the (Magna Entertainment Corp.) bankruptcy...and everything else." Arcadia city councilman Mickey Segal said it's a loss of "a projected $2.5 million to $3 million of revenue (each year) to the city" in sales and property tax.
Arcadia City Council last week approved expanding the kinds of outdoor special events allowed at Santa Anita Park race track, and in the adjacent parking lot areas, including concerts, carnivals, and farmers markets. The change will allow the track to host the California Philharmonic summer concerts and possibly Cavalia, a Cirque du Soleil show. Councilman Roger Chandler said the amendments made to the city's municipal code allow a very large and underused piece of land, specifically the south parking lot, to be used and to generate additional income for the track.
Trevor Denman, 63, the voice of Santa Anita Park since 1983, will retire and will not return for the 2015-2016 race meet. He has been calling races for 44 years, 33 at Santa Anita.
The California Horse Racing Board has approved Santa Anita Park's plan to resurface its main track with dirt. The Pro-Ride synthetic surface will be replaced by the first week of December.
Santa Anita Park is making a bid for the 2012 Breeders' Cup. Former Breeders' Cup CEO Greg Avioli has taken over as Chief Executive Officer of Stronach Entertainment, and now oversees Stronach Group's race tracks and other assets. Avioli's experience brings strength to Santa Anita Park's bid. Santa Anita Park last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2008 and 2009. The city of Arcadia gets one-third of 1 percent of all monies bet on the track. The event generated nearly $57,000 in betting handle in 2008 and nearly $58,000 in 2009 for the city.
Santa Anita Park is looking to renovate the Chandelier Room, which is part of Turf Club. It would be gutted and turned into a "night club." The Chandelier Room has been around since the race track opened on Christmas Day, 1934 (probably not true, according to Sandy Snider). Its giant chandeliers were imported from Versailles in France.
Dennis Moore, 67 year old track superintendent since November 2014, helps Santa Anita Park race track shine, horses stay safe. He is currently maintaining the racing surfaces at Santa Anita Park, Los Alamitos, and Del Mar.
Arcadia City Council moves toward a smoking ban at city parks and recreation areas, excluding the Par 3 Golf Course. While Council voted 4 to 1 last week in support of the concept, an ordinance is expected to be presented to the Council in May for public comment and approval.
The California Horse Racing Board has approved fall racing's return to Santa Anita Park, in 2011, after a 1-year hiatus, but this time Oak Tree Racing Association will not be running the show. Oak Tree could participate, but would not operate the Directors Room or handle the money raised for the industry.
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.
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.
Arcadia City Council hears public concerns over historic preservation on February 19. In 4-1 vote City Council agreed not to accept the current ordinance as is, but instead to have city staff revise it. Councilman Roger Chandler took some angry digs at local historians such as Carol Libby about the proposed ordinance. Marcello Vavala, of the Los Angeles Conservancy, said the proposed ordinance was fair because it would require consent of the homeowner to officially designate the home a historic entity.
Santa Anita Park race track draws 44,000 plus fans on this season's opening day December 26. Hero John Shear (photo) returns to track duties as paddock guard after saving a child's life last spring. Jockey Mike Smith rides Mr. Bossy Pants to win the 7th race (photo).
Race horse Bourbon Bay became the first horse in 17 years to sweep Santa Anita Park's trio of marathon graded turf stakes races with a half-length victory in the $150,000 Grade 2 San Juan Capistrano Handicap on closing day of the track's 75th anniversary meeting. The jockey was Rafael Bejarano, the first jockey since Laffit Pincay, Jr. in 1978-1981 to win three consecutive Santa Anita Park riding titles.