Santa Anita Park Racecourse

Santa Anita Park is amongst the finest thoroughbred racing facilities in the United States. Located in Arcadia, California, Santa Anita Park has hosted the Breeders’ Cup Championships more often than any other racecourse. The racecourse is also renowned for hosting the group one Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Handicap.

The quality of the races held at Santa Anita combine with pleasant climate and scenic surrounds of the San Gabriel Mountains to make the racecourse one of the most popular racing venues in North America. Crowds of over 50,000 racing fans routinely pack the stands for major race meetings, and the racecourse has recorded a crowd record of over 80,000 for the Santa Anita Derby.

Santa Anita Course Layout

The main track at Santa Anita Racecourse is a 1 mile synthetic ‘dirt’ track. This track was introduced to replace the dirt track in 2007, in accordance with regulations established by the state of California. The track was originally surfaced with Cushion Track technology, but was replaced with a Pro-Ride synthetic track in 2008 after problems with course drainage.

The Santa Anita synthetic dirt track encloses a 7 furlong turf course. This turf course is supplemented by an additional 6½ furlong turf course that cuts through the dirt course. This course is primarily used to host sprints and has a steep gradient due to its location on a hilly area of Santa Anita Racecourse.

Santa Anita Racecourse Facilities

Santa Anita Racecourse provides seating for 26,000 spectators in its distinctive art-deco grandstand. Additional viewing areas are offered in the in-field of the racetrack, which can accommodate 50,000 racegoers, and provides racing fans and their families with a more informal space as well as picnic facilities.

Santa Anita Racecourse History

Santa Anita Racecourse is the oldest thoroughbred racing facility in California.

The racetrack began hosting events on Christmas Day 1934, following the legalization of horse racing betting in the state of California. Architect Gordeon B. Kaufman was commissioned to design the racecourse facilities, resulting in the venue’s distinctive art-deco look.

The popularity of racing at Santa Anita increased rapidly over ensuing decades, as the Santa Anita Handicap and Santa Anita Derby became established as major events on the North American racing calendar. The popularity of these events led to the expansion of the racecourse in the 1960s.

In the 1980s Santa Anita Racecourse was selected as one of the venues for the Breeders’ Cup, and has subsequently proven to be the most popular venue for North America’s richest and most prestigious race meeting.