HRTV (Horse Racing Television) has reached agreement with independent Los Angeles broadcaster KVMD to give Southern California horse racing fans live racing television access to the upcoming Santa Anita Park winter/spring meeting.
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.
Horses at Santa Anita Park suffered fatal racing injuries at more than twice the rate of horses competing at California's other 3 major thoroughbred tracks over the last fiscal year, according to statistics. The fatality rate spiked at Santa Anita Park after the switch from a synthetic running surface back to a dirt track in 2010. There were 12 fatalities, or 3.7 per 1,000 starts, at Santa Anita Park in the last fiscal year.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments (MID), is requesting the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to allow additional racing days at Santa Anita Park and at his other track Golden Gate Fields. He wants the number of racing days to increase from 85 to 140 days per year, to run races when he thinks he'll get the most customers. In order for MID to maintain its license and run thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields, the CHRB has asked the company to submit a business plan. The plan has been a secret even to some of the company's board members. In the meantime, repairs are being made at Santa Anita Park in preparation for the fall Oak Tree meet (photo).
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.
A newly formed company won preliminary approval Tuesday to provide cable TV service in Arcadia even though Arcadia is already served by Adelphia Communications.
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.
Santa Anita Park will be hosting the coveted 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships. The Stronach Group took full control of the race track from MI Developments at the end of June. The two-day event will generate some revenue for the city and bring a lot of exposure to the San Gabriel Valley.
The Automatic License Plate Recognition system will soon be implemented at Westfield Santa Anita Shoppingtown and Santa Anita Park race track to monitor vehicles entering and exiting. License plate numbers will be run through criminal databases.
A full page advertisement authorized by Arcadia First! speaks out against Caruso Affiliated's plans to build a mall on the parking lot of Santa Anita Park race track.
HBO, the cable network will start filming the first episodes of a horse racing series starring Dustin Hoffman on October 31, at Santa Anita Park. The series is called "Luck," about the various players of horse racing. Filming for the first year's episodes is expected to run through mid-April.
Gene Simmons, frontman and singer of rock group KISS, promises to work magic at Santa Anita Park race track, with ideas for using the track for nightclubs, shopping, lifestyle attractions, concerts, and other events.
Santa Ana winds estimated at up to 80 mph, toppled 29 utility poles along Live Oak Avenue from Santa Anita to 10th Avenue in Arcadia. Arcadia was the hardest hit of the San Gabriel Valley cities.
MI Developments, the new owners of Santa Anita Park, defended canceling Oak Tree Racing Association's lease for fall racing, saying the contract did not account for the true economic cost of running the race track, according to Dennis Mills, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Canada-based MI Developments. On the other hand, Oak Tree's director and executive vice president Sherwood Chillingworth said the race track was getting the better deal, as Santa Anita Park got 75% of Oak Tree's profits. Chillingworth is talking about running Oak Tree at Hollywood Park or Del Mar.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey finds no crime or wrongdoing in horse deaths. Prosecutor says there is no evidence owners, jockeys or trainers knowingly raced injured animals at Santa Anita Park over the past year. Since July 2018, 56 horses have died at Arcadia race track. Of those, 34 died while running on Santa Anita's main dirt track. Santa Anita Park averages about 2.04 deaths per 1000 racing starts, according to the Jockey Club. The national average in 2018 was 1.68 deaths per 1000 starts. The District Attorney's report includes 27 recommended changes to improve safety and reduce fatalities. See also same story at Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, December 26, 2019.
Race horse Majestic Harbor, ridden by jockey Tyler Baze, wins the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Park yesterday. The Gold Cup was formerly known as the Hollywood Gold Cup when it was run at Hollywood Park race track.