Glamor And Grandeur At The Races: Santa Anita Racecourse

Santa Anita Racecourse, located at 285 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, fourteen miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, is one of the West Coast's top horse racing attractions. Nestled at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Anita Racecourse has hosted and continues to host many prestigious races. Among the major races at Santa Anita Racecourse are the Oak Tree Turf Championship, the Oak Leaf Stakes, the Norfolk Stakes, the Yellow Ribbon and the Goodwood Breeders Cup Handicap.

The racetrack property covers 320 acres, including stable accommodations for 1,800 thoroughbreds, and features a one-mile main track, a seven-furlong turf course and a six-furlong training track. Santa Anita Racecourse's regular season normally begins the day after Christmas and runs until late April. There is also a short season in October.

History of Santa Anita Racecourse

The establishment of Santa Anita Racecourse is closely tied to Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, who established the largest horse racing stables in the United States. Lucky Baldwin's daughter Anita along with Hollywood tycoons and sports figures helped create the Los Angeles Turf Club, which developed Santa Anita Racecourse in Arcadia in 1933 to 1934. Santa Anita Racecourse opened to the public Christmas Day, 1934.

In the Hollywood's Golden Age, regular track attendees included such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Bing Crosby. Santa Anita Racecourse has also provided a sweeping setting for famous horse competitions and such golden-era films as "The Story of Seabiscuit". During World War II, it served as an assembly center for Japanese Americans being relocated to internment camps. In 1984, it served as the site of the Olympics equestrian competitions.