Hollywood Meet

The 2024-2025 stakes schedule at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, will feature 79 added-money events over a total of 78 race dates, topped by the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GI Santa Anita Derby. The Big 'Cap, worth $400,000 in 2024, will offer prize money of $300,000 this year, while the purse of the Santa Anita Derby has been cut to $500,000 from $750,000. On the flipside, the purses on offer for overnight races are above what was offered last spring and autumn, with four allowance and maiden...

Jockey Juan Hernandez, trainer Phil D'Amato and owner Paul and Zilla Reddam's Reddam Racing emerged victorious in their respective divisions during the 29-day Hollywood Meet at Santa Anita, which closed Sunday, June 16. Hernandez, a native of Veracruz, Mexico, was celebrating a sixth riding title at Santa Anita, having ridden 36 winners from 176 mounts (20.5%), one clear of Antonio Fresu, who joined the local riding colony just over 14 months ago. The Italian had one last chance to dead-heat with Hernandez, but fell just short in Sunday's 12th and...

Santa Anita's Classic Meet will get off to its traditional fast start Dec. 26 with a trio of Grade I events each worth $300,000--the GI Malibu S., GI La Brea S., and GI American Oaks--and the track will continue racing through June 16 with a total of 90 stakes scheduled for the 78 race days. Those 90 stakes races include 53 graded events, with 10 Grade I races highlighted by the 87th running of the $400,000 GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 2 and the $750,000 GI Santa Anita Derby Apr....

Juan Hernandez, Phil D'Amato and Paul and Zillah Reddam's Reddam Racing emerged as the leaders in the jockey, trainer and owner divisions, respectively, during Santa Anita's Hollywood Meet, which concluded a 28-day run at the Los Angeles area oval Sunday, June 18. With a Sunday three-timer, emerging talent Hernandez continued his stranglehold on the Southern California jockeys' premiership, as he booted home 42 winners during the meeting. Hernandez, whose closing-day victories included the ride aboard new 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), saluted in 10 added-money events, five more than...

Juan Hernandez was the leading rider and Phil D'Amato topped the trainer's list at Santa Anita's 43-day Classic Meet, which concluded Sunday. Tim and Mark Cohen's Rancho Temescal and Red Baron's Barn were the meet's leading owners. Hernandez, a 31-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico won four races on opening day and never slowed down, adding two races on closing day Sunday to give him 63 victories for the meet, more than double that of runner-up Flavien Prat's 31. In the all-important stakes-won category, it was Hernandez leading Prat 13 to...