Santa Anita Park

5th-Santa Anita, $65,000, Msw, 3-2, 3yo, 6fT, 1:09.17, fm, 3 1/2 lengths. STRATE CASH (c, 3, Tiz the Law--Conquest Strate Up {SW, $192,984}, by Not Bourbon) was well-received by the betting public on the back of a bullet work Feb. 22 before this unveiling, and was sent off here as the 2-5 favorite. Breaking outwardly and forced to chase from fourth as Cajun Gold (Cajun Breeze) stepped out to set a pressured tempo, Strate Cash was four off the fence behind :22.46 and :45.46 opening splits. Rolling to the outside...

Strong gains in attendance and handle have bolstered Santa Anita Park's figures as the 90-year-old oval heads into the final six weeks of its Classic Meet, the track said in a release on Wednesday. On-track attendance is up over 9% from last season, hosting more than 203,000 visitors through last weekend. The handle bet on-track is up 4% from last year. Overall, the total all-sources handle to date is over $268-million, which is an increase from last year. The addition of horses from Northern California horses has been impactful, with...

Keeneland's 101st running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, Apr. 5 has attracted 133 nominees, including champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), according to a release on Thursday from the track. With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the Blue Grass joins the GI Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland's two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Turf Mile reached that level during the 2024 Fall Meet. "Keeneland is proud of the enhanced stature of the Toyota Blue Grass, and we thank the...

A donation drive to aid fire relief efforts will be held Sunday, Feb. 23 at Santa Anita in the parking lot from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., it was announced via press release Monday afternoon. Those wishing to contribute to the drive can enter through Gate 5 off Huntington Drive or Gate 8 off Baldwin Avenue. Donations may include non-perishable food, water, paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, wipes, etc.), diapers, toiletries (must be new), and pet food. All who donate can also stay for a complimentary day at the...

6th-Santa Anita, $60,500, Msw, 2-14, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.84, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. BAEZA (c, 3, McKinzie--Puca {SW & GSP, $299,406}, by Big Brown) debuted over the grass at Del Mar Dec. 1 and finished a well-beaten ninth. Switching to the main track at Santa Anita Jan. 4, the pricey Keeneland September buy was the runner-up behind 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic). Backed at the windows as the 2-1 second choice here, the bay came running out of the blocks to shadow a longshot into the first turn. The 3-year-old waited...

4th-FG, $55K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:30 p.m. ET. A $1.15 million buy for Mike Rutherford during Keeneland September, BUNDLE (Volatile) makes her debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Bred by Three Chimneys, the gray is out of MGISW Love and Pride (A.P. Indy), who is responsible for a pair of stakes winners in Princesinha Julia (Pioneerof the Nile) and Bella Runner (Gun Runner). Bundle's third dam, GISW Cara Rafaela (Quiet American), produced generational sire Bernardini (A.P. Indy). TJCIS PPS 4th-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 1:47 p.m. ET....

Sabrina Nakasone, a senior and Leslie Batista, a junior, were selected for this year's class have been selected to join Santa Anita as interns through an ongoing partnership with California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), studying in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Equine Studies program. Both are majoring in Animal Science Pre-Veterinary with a minor in Equine Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. The internship program, which began last year, is designed to provide students with work experience in the Thoroughbred racing industry with a focus on...

With training on the main track remaining limited to joggers Saturday morning at Santa Anita due to the rainstorms during the week, the synthetic training track saw 76 horses record timed workouts over the course. Most notable on the list was SW & GSP Miss Lizzy (Classic Empire), who worked five panels in 1:00.80 (11/32), and who was one of nine workers for trainer Doug O'Neill. The filly was most recently seen running fourth in the GIII Las Cienegas Stakes Jan. 19 and who had claimed her first stakes victory...

In response to a lawsuit filed Thursday by former Santa Anita employee Michael Willman, Santa Anita Park management issued the following statement: "The lawsuit filed by Mr. Willman is baseless and filled with false and misleading claims. Mr. Willman's employment with Santa Anita Park terminated in 2024, five years after the events he references in 2019, for reasons having nothing to do with racetrack safety. Santa Anita Park will vigorously defend itself against these meritless allegations and looks forward to setting the record straight in court, where the truth will...

Michael Willman, a former publicity director who worked at Santa Anita Park for nearly two decades, has sued the racetrack, its ownership, and several management executives, alleging that he was fired in March 2024 under the pretext of using inappropriate language when making an off-color joke to a subordinate, but that the "real reason" he was terminated was for refusing to participate in a purported cover-up of alleged mismanagement following a series of highly publicized horse fatalities that occurred at Santa Anita in 2019. According to the civil complaint filed...

There were no secrets heading into the GIII Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Sunday afternoon. Carded early in the program, the short three-horse field was a headed by a pair of pricey Bob Baffert runners--GI Del Mar Debutante winner Tenma (Nyquist), campaigned by Boama Corp. and Speedway Stables' Cipriani (Bernardini), named a TDN Rising Star following an 8 1/4-length victory in Arcadia last October. When the dust had settled, it was the hotly-backed 2-5 choice Tenma that proved best on the day. The win earned Tenma 20 additional qualifying...

NBC Sports will broadcast eight live races, including the GIII Robert B. Lewis as champion juvenile Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) kicks off his 2025 campaign, Saturday from 4-6:00 p.m. as part of the "1S/T Racing Tour presented by MyRacehorse", the Florida track announced Friday evening. Coverage will include the GIII Holy Bull and GIII Forward Gal Stakes as well as the Listed Swale and Kitten's Joy Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Santa Anita coverage will comprise of the GIII Robert B. Lewis, GIII Mergahertz, and GII Santa Monica Stakes. It...