Santa Anita Park

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be in attendance to present awards and promote horse care at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, Sept. 28, for the inaugural California Crown Day, the non-profit said in a release Wednesday. Following the running of the Unzip Me Stakes presented by the TAA, winning connections will be presented with a branded blanket and gift bag in the winner's circle, and a check presentation will be made from 1/ST to the aftercare organization. "This event spotlights the best of California racing, and collaborating with Thoroughbred Aftercare...

Horseplayers will find a revised wagering menu for this year's 16-day Santa Anita Autumn Meet, which opens Friday, Sept. 27, 1/ST Racing said in a press release on Wednesday. The Pick Six is now has a $2 minimum after previously being a $1 base wager, but will continue to pay out 70 percent of each day's pool to tickets that have all six winners with the remaining 30 percent going to consolation payouts. If there are no tickets with six winners, 70 percent of the pool will carryover to the...

Following its inaugural Media & Content Cohort Training in April, Light Up Racing has expanded its fall tour with new sessions to be held at Santa Anita Sept. 29-30, and at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga location Oct. 3-4., Light Up said in a Friday release. Each cohort brings together a diverse group of up to 25 participants from across the industry, including trainers, owners, media professionals, and influencers, all united by a shared commitment to promoting the sport's brighter future and to help shape a positive public perception. "This program isn't just...

Construction that began earlier this summer on three horse show arenas is nearing completion in the Santa Anita Park infield and will not affect training or racing at the track, according to a Wednesday 1/ST Racing press release. Led by track consultant Dennis Moore, the construction will not impact morning training or afternoon racing as the Autumn Meet opens at the end of September. The arenas will be used for the first time in collaboration with The Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour, and will feature two weeks of back-to-back...

AmWest Entertainment LLC, the operator of AmWager.com, has received a license from the California Horse Racing Board and is now available to Golden State residents, the betting platform said in a release early Thursday. Horseplayers in California who are 21 years and older can now place wagers on over 450 U.S. and international tracks through AmWager's interface, which brings the number of states that the site is available in to 31. "Expanding into California is a significant milestone for AmWager, and we are excited to bring our premier wagering platform...

The upcoming entertainment roster for the inaugural California Crown will include VIP area trackside performances including Griffin, Lil Yachty, Shaboozey, Frank Walker and Zack Bia. Tickets for the event, which will take place at Santa Anita Park Sept. 28, are available at www.californiacrown.com. The California Crown marks the second race in 1/ST's Grand 3 $25-million racing and incentive series connecting the GI Preakness, The California Crown and the 2025 GI Pegasus World Cup. The California Crown race day will offer $3,000,000 in purses, including the $1,000,000 GI California Crown, replacing...

As it has in virtually every conversation that involves horse racing over the past year, safety played a central role at the 72nd annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York Thursday.   California: Safety and Collaboration In two presentations focusing on California, Gary Fenton, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and a managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, spoke from a TVG set in the Del Mar paddock about the importance of California racing to the overall racing ecosystem, while Dionne Benson, the Chief...

Craig Fravel, who served as the executive vice chair for The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing, is leaving the company and becoming a partner and senior advisor with Southern California-based Brown Advisory, the global, private and independent investment management firm said in a release early Thursday. Beginning in late 2019, Fravel was hired to lead 1/ST Racing as its chief executive during the equine fatality crisis at Santa Anita. His tenure also included presiding over the sale of Pimlico Race Course and the closing of Golden Gate Fields. Prior to that,...

Rider Emily Ellingwood straightened Night Beacon (Spun to Run) for her stretch run, then banked the young filly for the gallop out. All the while she allowed her mount--who moved like a western pleasure horse--to feel the ground beneath her during what was becoming a regular workout late in 2023. But it wasn't a nicely-groomed all-weather surface the pair were traveling over. No, the terrain was undulating and severe. Among the flora was fauna which included snakes and coyotes. There's no renovation break amid the rock and earth here. True,...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Tax Implications in the Eatontown Stakes last weekend. Mehmas's Tax Implications Lands Eatontown The duo of Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables combined to send out Tax Implications (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) to win the GIII Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park last Saturday (video). Bred by Aoife Kent, the chestnut filly was originally a 75,000gns foal when put the Tattersalls December Foal Sale by Mickley...

It was déjà vu all over again at June's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting. Three months after a contentious meeting that saw board members vote unanimously to give race dates to Pleasanton Racetrack for a Thoroughbred meet this fall (in opposition to the wishes of Southern California track operators), the CHRB wrestled with another weighty conundrum: How to fund horse racing in California for the next fiscal year. Ultimately, the board approved what was termed a "compromise" funding model that will see each racing association cover the "direct costs"...

Favored to defend his title in Sunday's GIII San Juan Capistrano S., Planetario (Brz) didn't disappoint, breaking his own course record over the 1 3/4-mile distance at Santa Anita in the process. Installed the 3-5 choice to repeat, the 6-year-old settled at the back as longshots Bee Catcher (English Channel) and Rimprotector (Point of Entry) led through moderate early fractions. Turning for home, 5-2 second choice Rockemperor closed resolutely from the outside, while Planetario launched his own bid in between rivals down the center of course. While the former appeared...