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.
Santa Anita Park Race Track owner Frank Stronach has met with city officials about Arcadia's concerns with the track expansion plan and future sessions will be held. The concerns centered around plans to build new barns on the north side of the property, the internal connections between the track and Westfield Shopping mall traffic and people, and architectural compatibility with the track.
After a 13-hour meeting, Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to approve the outdoor mall to be built on the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot, a development known as The Shops at Santa Anita. Opponents may push a referendum and possibly file lawsuits to block the project.
Last year it seemed Santa Anita Park might be sold in a bankruptcy auction, but it appears owner Frank Stronach will keep an interest in the track. Under a deal arranged by Stronach's bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC) and its creditors in a Delaware bankruptcy court, ownership of the track would be transferred to MI Development, a real estate holding company controlled by Stronach. If a judge accepts the plan, Stronach would also retain ownership of Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area, and Gulfstream Park in Florida. Also, it sets up developer Rick Caruso to proceed with building the Shops at Santa Anita mall that is proposed for the track's parking lot.
Three girls wearing identical dress costumes and ballet shoes, in dance poses outside Arcadia City Hall. There is a fountain behind the girls that no longer exists. The City Hall tile mosaic wall (mural) depicting Arcadia history, by artist Jay Rivkin, is seen in the background (noted November 27, 2013-the murals had been covered by stucco for many years but were restored this year).
American Chinese Culture Association, an Arcadia-based group that promotes greater understanding between the U.S. and China through cultural exchange, will have members give a dance performance at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington DC. Artist Tao Haixin shows his work at Arcadia County Park.
Bankrupt Santa Anita Park race track will not go on the auction block Tuesday as planned because no acceptable opening bid has been offered. The sale of the track has been postponed. The track has court-sanctioned access to operating funds at least until the first quarter of next year.
Santa Anita Park opens the 2010-2011 season with a new $3 million dirt surface on its track. The on-track attendance was 34,268, which was 1,400 less than last year. Trumpeter Jay Cohen calls the horses to the gate (photo).
The television cable channel HBO filmed a pilot called "Luck" at Santa Anita Park last spring, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. The writer and producer is David Milch, who also wrote for the "Deadwood" television series. Santa Anita Park officials hope the pilot is picked up as a series. Its exposure on HBO could mean more revenue for the race track.
Santa Anita Park unveiled its new, all-dirt main track yesterday, allowing thoroughbred horses to get used to the natural surface three weeks before the start of the traditional winter meet. The dirt track replaces a synthetic one that failed to drain properly during heavy rains, resulting in 16 lost racing days since the fall of 2008.