Telephone and online wagering was approved by the California Horse Racing Board on Thursday. Now gamblers may place bets at Santa Anita Park from home.
County health inspectors toured stablehand living quarters at Santa Anita Park, instructing race track officials on the repairs and upgrades necessary to make the "backstretch" habitable.
Santa Anita Park at a crossroads. Racetrack remains profitable but a string of cancellations, fewer horses in the running, and off-track betting show problems in the backstretch.
Promoters expect 20,000 people a day to attend Festival Santa Anita, a Labor Day weekend event featuring Latin music, food, and arts and crafts. This will be the first major event at Santa Anita Park since the City Council decided in July to allow its use as a concert venue.
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 race horse "California Chrome" wins the Belmont Stakes tomorrow to complete a Triple Crown sweep, then this could help the racing industry. The industry will try to turn attention attracted by the first Triple Crown in 36 years into a revival of the sport's popularity. Santa Anita Park executives hope a crowd of 30,000 will show up Saturday to watch the Belmont on TV screen. Betting at Santa Anita Park has declined 40% between 2002 and 2011 before ticking up the last two years.
Santa Anita Park: no crimes in horse deaths report says. California Horse Racing Board's yearlong investigation into deaths of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park has determined there were no violations of animal welfare laws and no evidence of illegal medications, but exams possibly were compromised by anti-inflammatory medications. All but two of the horses that died between December 30, 2018 and March 31, 2019 appeared to have preexisting injuries caused by high-intensity racing and training. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. said the report makes it clear that transparency is needed in the sport. She has called for the passage of the Horseracing Integrity Act, a bill that would establish a national anti-doping authority for the country.
The Temple City First Baptist Church conducted ceremonies for couples to renew their vows on Valentine's Day at the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita.
The Arcadia and Monrovia police departments have been forced to increase overtime spending and reduce dayside patrol staffing because of the recent transfer of criminal cases from the Santa Anita Courthouse to Alhambra.
Horse racing at Fairplex Park started its 64th season at the Los Angeles County Fair. Earlier this summer officials proposed moving the races to Santa Anita Park. The California horse Racing Board denied their request on June 26.
The Thoroughbred Racing Association of California is trying to put together a bid for Santa Anita Park, with plans to run it as a nonprofit arm of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. Santa Anita Park race track was to be auctioned this week but no acceptable opening bid was made.
Oak Tree Racing leaves Santa Anita Park after 41 years and races at Hollywood Park for its 42nd season, starting today. It is a 22-day season that consists of four 4-day race weeks. Oak Tree's lease at Santa Anita Park was voided by MI Developments.
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.