Santa Anita concluded the six-month 2024-25 Winter Tribe season on June 15th by promoting increased steering, field size, and track attendance and safety.
Santa Anita began its 90th year on December 26th, earning the third largest opening day handle in history. The momentum continued to be built with all source handles for the season, including the winter tournament from December 26th to April 6th and the spring tournament from April 18th to June. The total handle for Santa Anitalace has increased by 10% from the 2023-24 Winter Tribe competition.
The gain on the handle was benefited from a 5% increase in field size last year, partly due to California’s competition for a single circuit. The influx of horses from Northern California provided many opportunities to compete against each other at Santa Anita during the season.
The increased selection of betting also led to increased competition for bettors. The popular Pick 6 has brought 17 carryovers this season, more than double the eight carryovers from the previous year. Santa Anita’s winter spring turf race has grown in popularity, with the handlebars of the Santa Anita Turf Pick 3 rising by 31%.
Supported by the biggest first day crowd of eight years and the biggest Santa Anita Derby Day crowd of seven years, more than half a million people enjoy racing on the Arcadia site, getting back on track and earning 4%.
Santa Anita has continued to lead a country that has improved more than last year. This was a record high. The recently concluded season produced a safety mark of over 99.98%, expanding the ranking of 1/ST race facilities as the safest track in North America. On the first day of fall, 6,830 horses ran through Santa Anita’s main dirt track and grass course from the tournament, on September 27th through the closing day of the spring tournament. The main track and synthetic training track combined hosted over 375,000 morning training sessions in between.
“This year has been tentative for the California racing community and has been successful in every way possible,” said Nate Newby, senior vice president and general manager of Santa Anita. “We appreciate the continued support of our owners, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, horses, horses, women, horse players who bring our products back, and our staff to make a great show. The Santa Anita-based horses are Journalism, A raging torrent and copyhighlighting the excellence we experience every day, winning major races across the country. Between Etonfire and continuous recovery, 2025 has been a challenging year for many of our neighbors and our own Santa Anita family, but we hope that the great racing location provided some continuity. ”
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Bill Nader, president of California Thoroughbred Owner. “This will encourage increased handles, reverse the downward trend of the wallet overnight, restore our foundations and bring new life to California races. Later this year, the race will move to Los Aramitos, and will be the expected summer of Del Mar.”
The addition of horses from Northern California has boosted the stable region of Santa Anita to a capacity of 2,000 horses.
“More than 5,000 pre-examinations have been conducted by Santa Anita veterinarians since September 1st last year,” said Dionnebenson, veterinarian director at 1/ST Racing. “It is impossible to overestimate the importance of working with owners, trainers and civil veterinarians to provide additional opportunities for intervention in the best interest of the horse and providing models to other parts of the country.”
The live race will return to Santa Anita on September 26th for the five-week fall competition. The Seven Breeders Cup Qualifying Race highlights the first two weeks of the season.
