Santa Anita Park

The parade of graded stakes races this Saturday is like a Christmas tree laden with presents. Towards the end of the celebration, as the wadded paper congregates, there will be a customary wistfulness that slowly sets in. We never want it to end. With 17, yes 17, graded races on the docket--nine of those have Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' status--it is going to be a splendid day to receive as Belmont at the Big A, Keeneland Race Course, Woodbine Racetrack, Gulfstream Park, Hastings Racecourse and Santa Anita Park...

To see Adare Manor (f, 4, Uncle Mo--Brooklynsway, by Giant Gizmo) gallop out after Santa Anita's GII Zenyatta S. was to see a filly who looked like she was pretty proud of herself. Indeed, she should have been. The Zenyatta was Adare Manor's fifth straight win, as well as fourth consecutive graded win, and she took this one in the most facile manner possible, eased up as she cruised under the line a 5 1/4-length victress. Clearly the class of the field as the 1-9 favorite, Adare Manor ran like...

The legend of Cody's Wish (Curlin), dampened only briefly by a 10-length defeat in the two-turn GI Whitney S., is back at full flame with a gutsy effort in the rescheduled 'Win and You're In' GII Vosburgh S. Rained off of Saturday's card at Belmont's Aqueduct Fall meeting, the Vosburgh awarded a paid entry to the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint though winning trainer Bill Mott indicated a title defense for his stable's star in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders's Cup Dirt mile was preferred. Beaten just once...

Talk about keeping good company. Kirstenbosch (Midnight Lute), a 4-year-old making her 17th lifetime start for trainer John Sadler, has not raced out of graded-stakes company since her third-place finish in the GI La Brea S. Dec. 26. Perhaps more impressively, she's been on the board in all but three of the eight starts since that post-Christmas trifecta. And though absent of the winner's circle since victory in the GIII La Canada S. Jan. 15, Kirstenbosch has run second or third to GISW Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) and a pair...

Jessica Pyfer, the 2021 Eclipse Award Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, has retired as a jockey and will join XBTV/Santa Anita Park as a full-time racing analyst, she announced on the social media platform X. "After an amazing three years as a Jockey, I am officially transitioning my career and have accepted a full time position with XBTV/Santa Anita Park as a Racing Analyst and couldn't be more excited to continue working in this role," she said in a post. "I am so thankful for the times I have had in the...

With Santa Anita Park set to begin its fall meet, fans will be greeted by a pair of all-new state-of-the-art paddock video boards beginning on opening day, Friday, Sept. 29, 1/ST Racing said in a press release late Thursday. Manufactured by US-based Daktronics, the video boards each measure nine feet tall by 16 feet wide. While the previous paddock video boards had a pixel pitch of 15mm, the new boards provide much higher quality viewing, with a finer 6mm one. To view a time-lapse installation click here. Breeders' Cup Stars...

Southern California's racing calendar for 2024 will nearly mirror this year's dates template, with the exception of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club being awarded a fifth week at its fall meet to dovetail with that track's hosting of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders' Cup. But several California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) commissioners who voted in favor of next year's SoCal schedule at the Aug. 17 monthly meeting made it clear those dates allocations were not to be considered a "rubber stamp" approval that couldn't change at some point in the future. That...

Adare Manor (f, 4, Uncle Mo--Brooklynsway, by Giant Gizmo), a big, rangy daughter of her Breeders' Cup-winning sire, made it four in a row and a first Grade I with a facile win in the $400,000 GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar Saturday. The filly will likely attempt to win a Breeders' Cup of her own as the "Win and You're In" Hirsch offers a fees-paid berth to the GI Distaff, which will be held at Santa Anita in November. When the field broke in the Hirsch, it...

Welcome back, Babe. Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., on the sidelines for more than 10 years after having his license suspended by New York State racing regulators, enjoyed by far his biggest win since returning in the spring courtesy of White Abarrio (Race Day), a jaw-dropping 6 1/4-length, stalk-and-pounce winner of Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Whitney S. at Saratoga. Zandon (Upstart) completed the exacta while the heavily favored Cody's Wish (Curlin), looking for his first career win beyond one mile while drawn widest of all in post six, had...

The British racing industry will partner will the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) at the 2023 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in November to deliver a UK government trade mission centred around the horse racing industry. Great British Racing International (GBRI) will lead the four-day mission in partnership with Ascot Racecourse, The Jockey Club and UK Tote Group. The trade mission represents the first time the British racing industry has collaborated on a large-scale international event with the support of the UK government. Beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 1, is...

In order to focus on its racing and training venues at Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs, The Stronach Group will close Golden Gate Fields at the end of its 2023 racing meet, the organization said in a release late on Sunday. With the goal of increasing field sizes and adding another day of racing to the weekly racing calendar at Santa Anita Park, come Jan. 2024, officials hope this consolidation will serve to further elevate the overall customer experience at Santa Anita Park. "The Stronach Group remains...

California horse racing again experienced a significant decline in the number of horses that died from injuries suffered during racing and training at the state's facilities during the 2022-23 fiscal year that ended June 30, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) said in a press release on Saturday. A total of 26 died last year as a result of musculoskeletal injuries that occurred while racing or training, compared with 39 the previous year. For context, approximately 30,000 race starts and far in excess of 100,000 workouts occur each year from...