Pioneer of the Nile (the horse) won the Santa Anita Derby this year and will go on to run the Kentucky Derby. Bob Baffert is the trainer and Garrett Gomez is the jockey.
Trainer John Sadler, a 54-year old Long Beach native, watched from home with a knee injury, as his trainees Switch, Sidney's Candy, and Twirling Candy) win three stakes races on Santa Anita Park's opening day of the 2010-2011 season, its 74th racing season.
The 72nd $1 million Santa Anita Handicap is running today. Some of the top contenders are named Colonel John, Einstein, Cowboy Cal, Court Vision, and Matto Mondo. Helen Pitts is Einstein's trainer. Einstein is the son of horse Spend a Buck.
The 134th Santa Anita Derby took place yesterday. Jockey Joseph Talamo rode race horse Sidney's Candy to victory in the Grade I $750,000 race. The runner up was Setsuko and Lookin At Lucky finished third.
MI Developments, the parent company of Santa Anita Park, announced the formation of the Preakness 5.5 bonus program, which could mean an additional $5.5 million for the winning connections of the middle leg of horse racing's Triple Crown in 2011.
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.
Santa Anita Park's current Pro-Ride synthetic track surface will be replaced with a dirt track after the Oak Tree meet ends October 31 and before Santa Anita Park's winter-spring season starts December 26, 2010. Frank Stronach said it will cost about $6 million to install.
Santa Anita Park president Ron Charles has announced it will continue to race on its Cushion Track this season. It will undergo some reformulation with polymer and fibers produced by Pro-Ride, an Australian company, so that it will drain properly.
Santa Anita Park cancelled horse racing Monday for the third consecutive day after 7-1/2-inches of rain fell on its Cushion Track, creating drainage problems.
Five things to watch for at Santa Anita Park's Autumn Meet: 1. Riding excellence by jockey Rafael Bejarano, 2. Magic touch of Bob Baffert, 3. Beholder, the first female to win Pacific Classic at Del Mar, 4. Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah will be seen training, 5. Derby hopeful Nyquist.
Ready to rumble. Two of the nation's best 4-year-olds, California Chrome and Shared Belief, will squre off at Santa Anita Park tomorrow. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Shared Belief. The two horses finished third and fourth in last fall's Breeder's Cup Classic. So this rematch is highly anticipated in tomorrow's San Antonio Stakes. See also Pasadena Star News, p. B1, B6, February 6, 2015.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied a license to Oak Tree Racing Association to run its fall meet at Santa Anita Park after representatives from the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Trainers said they opposed having Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park due to safety concerns, saying they prefer Hollywood Park. Sherwood Chillingworth, executive vice president of Oak Tree, said he was moving forward to make arrangements to run the fall meet at Hollywood Park, but did not rule out the possibility that the board could change its mind.
Two articles describe this coming weekend's Breeders' Cup race at Santa Anita Park. "Unbeaten Zenyatta already looks like a Classic choice," p. B1 and "Smart money may be on Einstein," p. B3.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments, is scheduled to address the California Horse Racing Board to address a number of issues, including a potential new racetrack surface for Santa Anita Park and the recent cancellation of its lease with the charitable Oak Tree Racing Association. Dennis Mills, MI Development's CEO and vice chairman has said Santa Anita Park might replace its synthetic track soon, which could jeopardize hosting Oak Tree's meet there.