Obituary/death notice. Victor Vener, Cal Phil and Pasadena Pops founder, dies at 78. Vener brought outdoor concerts to the Santa Anita Park Race Track, The Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, Rose Bowl, and others.
Santa Anita Park race track hosts 2023 Horse Racing Women's Summit (HRWS) on September 29. Over 150 women from 13 states and Canada gathered for the second HRWS to advance racing by empowering women.
Santa Anita Park targets May 15 to resume live racing. Track makes plan to race when county stay-at-home order could be lifted, pending approval from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Jockey Flavien Prat wins 6 consecutive races at Santa Anita Park's winter-spring meet. He became the fourth rider to win 6 races on a single card twice at the Arcadia track, when he accomplished this during Friday's eight-race program.
Santa Anita Park will stay closed; Derby to be rescheduled. Santa Anita Park will remain closed for live racing, at least through the upcoming weekend, as a result of last week's order by the Los Angeles County Health Department in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. More than 1700 horses are stabled at Santa Anita Park and are cared for by more than 750 people who live and work at the track. A track press release said, "We will continue to work with county officials and health authorities to familiarize them with the protocols already in place and our plans to protect the health and safety of the community who works with the horses and calls Santa Anita home."
Stuck in the backstretch. At Santa Anita Park racetrack, coronavirus cuts off horse caretakers from the outside world More than 750 backstretch workers at Santa Anita Park now live and work in isolation to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They sleep in worn dormitories, sometimes in pairs, tucked among the barns. New restrictions bar visitors. There is a sense of anxiety in the community about the novel Coronavirus and the future of their jobs. No cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus have been reported at Santa Anita Park, which ceased racing last month, but there isn't any proactive testing either. The worries have to do with the track being shut down, or trainers moving to other states and these workers having nowhere to work or stay. If they lose their jobs, they lose their medical benefits and will be struggling.
Santa Anita Park to host Breeders' Cup for a record 11th time, in 2023. Local horsemen were overjoyed at the announcement. Santa Anita Park is still the only track to host the Breeders' Cup for 3 consecutive years, in 2012-2014.
California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) rebuffs Santa Anita Park, gives Pleasonton thumbs up. Tensions had risen when Craig Fravel, executive vice chairman of 1/ST Racing, which runs Santa Anita Park for the Stronach Group, said in a letter to CHRB members that the Arcadia track might close if Southern California interests don't receive more simulcast wagering revenue, which would have happened if Northern California was denied a major meet.
Breeders' Cup. Horse named Practical Move dies after gallop at Santa Anita Park. A short time later race horse Arcangelo dropped out of the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.
Rose Parade 2024. SOI RV Club is a primo event for RV enthusiasts. The Sports Coach Owners International (SOI) has been organizing Rose Parade rallies for 45 years. They park at Santa Anita Park and attend multiple events including Equestfest, Bandfest, and some horse racing at the track.
Horse Racing Supporters Call for Santa Anita Park to Open amid COVID-19. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. County health department are reviewing a proposal from Santa Anita Park to resume "spectator-less" live racing.
Two horses die in the span of two days from training injuries at Santa Anita Park racetrack. They were named Cayton Kid and Magnolia. Track officials noted the number of fatalities dropped sharply from 2019, when 42 horses died. According to Santa Anita Park, 17 horses died at the track in 2020 and 12 died last year. The track's safety rate has improved by 43% compared to last year.
Santa Anita Park ready to open 84th winter-spring meet with new turf course. The new turf chute will accommodate sprints up to 6 1/2 furlongs. Nate Newby is the new General Manager, who began as an intern in 2002. COVID-19 repercussions make it difficult to run the track but there have been no fatalities over Santa Anita's main track during afternoon racing in 2020, following a disastrous 2019, when 37 horses had to be euthanized.