Two articles describe the Breeders' Cup XXVI, 2009, and the race horse Zenyatta. The Breeders' Cup drew a 2-day total of 96,496 attendees, but the 41st Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park showed significant declines in attendance and handle when its 31 days of racing ended yesterday.
The Breeders' Cup, known as the world championship of horse racing, was held at Santa Anita Park last Friday and Saturday. The event has helped the local economy in Arcadia, with an estimated $50 million spent on restaurants, hotels, wagering, taxis, etc.
The Breeders' Cup will be raced at Santa Anita Park on November 6-7, 2009. It will be its second consecutive year and fifth time overall held at Santa Anita Park.
The Breeders' Cup announced that its internationally recognized thoroughbred horse racing event will be hosted by the Churchill Downs race track in Louisville, KY in 2011 for the second consecutive year. Breeders' Cup spokesman Jim Gluckson said, "It became a difficult situation to select Santa Anita Park for 2011 with the problems that occurred with the cancellation of Oak Tree lease."
Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park will host the Breeders' Cup World Championships today and tomorrow, bringing most of the best thoroughbreds in the world together for 14 races with a record $25.5 million in purses. Local businesses hope to get a financial boost from the evevnt.
Magna Entertainment Corporation, owners of Santa Anita Park race track, is bidding to purchase the September race dates at the Los Angeles County Fair for September 13-29. The Breeders Cup will be returning to Santa Anita Park next October after a gap of ten years.