Yearly, horse racing followers get to unwrap their final Christmas current when California Horse Racing celebrates its opening day at Santa Anita Park. The post-holiday kickoff marks the start of the winter-spring “traditional” competitors at one of many nation’s premier venues. The normal opening day for winter and spring horse racing at Santa Anita is Dec. 26, proper after the vacations, however this 12 months the racetrack’s opening might be postponed till Sunday, Dec. 28, as a result of heavy rain anticipated within the space throughout Christmas week.
Traditional meets at Nice Race Place will proceed till April fifth, beginning on Fridays and operating three days per week, together with Sundays and public holidays. Horse racing at Santa Anita will then take a brief break earlier than the spring “Hollywood” racing season continues from April seventeenth to June 14th.
Santa Anita will host 78 race dates, together with dates from April by means of June. A few of the highlights of the match would be the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap to be held by Yaamaba Resort & On line casino in San Manuel on March seventh and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4th. In whole, the racetrack will host 81 stakes races price a complete of $11.75 million.
Santa Anita’s main jockey
The favorites to win the jockey title for the Santa Anita Traditional Meet (December 28, 2025 to April 5, 2026) are: Juan Hernandezhas received the final 4 winter titles, together with 53 wins (23%) final 12 months. These stats have been much like his Santa Anita jockey title two years in the past, when he additionally received 53 wins (22%). He was the undisputed main jockey on the 2022-23 and 2021-22 Santa Anita Winter Meets, successful 63 races (25%) three years in the past.
The Spring Hollywood Meet (April 17-June 14, 2026) is totally different from the Traditional Meet. He was one win in need of taking up Hernandez as the highest rider in 2024, however antonio fres In 2025, he wrested the jockey’s title from Hernandez with 152 mounts and 35 wins (23%). Contemporary was the highest rider in final 12 months’s Classics, ending fifth with 29 wins (14%), and appears set for a giant season subsequent 12 months after using within the Center East in late 2025.
Some modifications are anticipated on the Southern California jockey colony this season, as a few of the prime riders in recent times have chosen to trip elsewhere this season. Final 12 months’s second place rider, Flavien Prat, will as a substitute be based mostly in New York this winter, whereas final winter’s tenth place rider, Flavien Prat, might be based mostly in New York as a substitute. Asael Espinoza is transferring its horse tack to Oaklawn Park. Veteran Frankie Dettori is retiring.
One jockey who will transfer in the other way and fill a gap this season at Santa Anita is Emisael JaramilloThe group, which is predicated at Gulfstream Park, was the chief in second place on the spring/summer season meet and third place on the fall meet till Nov. 23.
One other well-known rider typically seen in Santa Anita entries is Umberto Rispoliwas tied for third eventually 12 months’s winter meet with 37 wins (20%), and on the Del Mar fall meet he led all jockeys with 17 wins (22%) and is on his option to successful the jockey title.
A few of the notable jockeys frequently seen at Santa Anita embrace: Hectus Berriostied with Rispoli final 12 months with 37 wins (23%). Additionally, these competing for the highest 10 rankings are: Kyle Frey (28 wins, 13% in final 12 months’s traditional match), Kazushi Kimura (10 wins, 11%), Thiago Pereira (28 wins, 15%), Armando Ayuso (26 wins, 14%), and Edwin Maldonado (19 wins, 17%). mike smith He has ridden solely 54 mounts, together with many stakes, and received seven occasions at 13%. Additionally, the Italian jockey mirco demuro He arrived in Southern California and made a giant splash in late 2025, particularly within the fall match at Del Mar, the place he received 12 of 49 starters and had a successful share of 24%.
Santa Anita High Trainers
Within the coach’s place, Mark Glatt In final 12 months’s match, they recorded 31 wins and 25% out of 122 starters, and emerged as the highest spot to win the event title. Glatt completed second on the leaderboard two years in the past with 29 wins, and the 12 months earlier than that he had 23 wins (21%) for an enormous 28% win share.
On the traditional competitors two years in the past, the coaching title was Doug O’Neill He received 31 video games from 163 starters, a price of 19%. O’Neal fell to fifth within the rankings final 12 months with 20 wins (12%). Phil D’Amato was the earlier prime coach who received three consecutive titles within the Traditional Meet from 2020-2021 and 2022-2023. D’Amato was slumping to eighth place within the rankings final 12 months with 13 wins (10%).
bob baffert At this winter’s Santa Anita meet, he has had a principally constant efficiency over the previous three years and can little doubt compete for coaching titles as traditional, regardless of having fewer starters than many different prime trainers. Baffert completed second within the rankings final 12 months with 26 wins from 87 beginning pitchers, posting an enormous win share of 30%. Two years in the past, he received 24 races out of 89 horses on the Traditional Meet with a 27% win price, and three years in the past he received 27% of his races in 27 races out of 99 horses.
Different prime winter trainers from Santa Anita embrace: michael mccarthy (24 wins, 22% in final 12 months’s traditional match), Jeff Mullins (23 wins, 32%), richard white (16 wins, 18%), robert hess jr. (15 wins, 18%), john sadler (13 wins, 13%), and mike puipe (13 wins, 20%), all of whom completed within the prime 10 final 12 months. Even larger share trainers that bettors can look out for embrace: richard mandela (9 wins, 18%), Jonathan Thomas (9 wins, 23%), dean pederson (10 wins, 34%), and Dan Blackerfinal 12 months, they succeeded in successful 54% with seven of the 13 starters within the match.
santa anita foremost observe pattern
Let’s take a fast have a look at the frequent biases in Santa Anita’s various kinds of races and get to know the “Nice Racetrack” based mostly on statistics from final 12 months’s identical Santa Anita Traditional and Hollywood Meets, which ran from December 26, 2024 to June 15, 2025.
This can be very tough for closers to win in dash races as a result of their choice for operating model and the successful race on the foremost race. Of the 268 sprints eventually 12 months’s occasion, simply 23 have been received by horses greater than 4 lengths off the tempo, accounting for simply 9% of the wins. The most effective operating model for achievement within the Santa Anita Dash is quick velocity. The entrance runner received 151 of the 268 sprints at or close to tempo (inside the lead) and accounted for wins in additional than half of the races (56%). The submit place was performed pretty.
Statistics have been comparable for essentially the most generally run dust dash distances: 5 furlongs, 6 furlongs, and 6 1/2 furlongs. Finally 12 months’s occasion, solely 11 races have been held over seven furlongs, and 7 of the successful horses raced at or close to the entrance, making it an much more speed-oriented race. Not one of the seven-furlong races have been received by a more in-depth.
Santa Anita dust route developments
Most of Santa Anita’s dust route races are 1 mile lengthy. Of the 132 routes run eventually 12 months’s Traditional and Hollywood Meets, 112 of them have been one mile, with solely 15 races operating the second-most distance of 1 1/16 miles. The typical variety of horses per race was 6.89 and submit positions have been contested pretty between inside, center and outdoors posts.
Speedster additionally had a operating model benefit on Santa Anita’s dust route final season, successful 51 % of the time in 67 of 132 races. Stoker, who was racing one to 4 lengths off the tempo, received 48 of 132 races, successful 36%. As is the pattern in dash races, closers wrestle to win routes, successful simply 17 of 132 routes and accounting for simply 13% of the races.
Santa Anita Turf Route Ideas
Relating to grass racing, Santa Anita’s grass programs host a few of the finest grass racing within the nation through the winter months. Final 12 months’s occasion featured 181 races on flat grass routes, together with 146 1-mile races and 35 1 1/8-mile races. In some circumstances, longer grass routes could also be run ranging from numerous factors on the downhill portion of the course. Santa Anita’s flat grass course typically tends to play honest when it comes to operating model and submit place, however there are variations between the 1 mile and 1 1/8 mile which might be price mentioning.
On the most typical distance, the one-mile Santa Anita turf course, the typical subject measurement was almost eight horses (7.94 horses per race) and submit positions have been pretty performed. The largest bias in these races final 12 months was in opposition to closers, with simply 19% successful 28 of the 146 turf miles. Sooner velocity horses as a gaggle and stalkers as a gaggle carried out a lot better.
On the 1 1/8-mile grass route, the popular operating model was utterly totally different and the skin submit place was a lot much less favorable. Crothers had a robust displaying on the 1 1/8 mile, successful 12 of 35 races, accounting for 34% of his wins. If there was a drawback to those races when it comes to operating model, it was in opposition to horses that have been near tempo, which had the worst successful share of the varied operating kinds, successful simply 23% of races (8 out of 35). When it comes to submit positions, horses aside from submit place quantity 6 received solely 5 of the 35 races, accounting for simply 14% of the wins.
santa anita turf dash
Santa Anita contains a 6-furlong 1/2 turf dash on its signature downhill course. There can even be flat turf sprints from the brand new backstretch turf dash chutes. Most are run at six furlongs, with a number of extra six-furlong races and the occasional five-furlong sprint. Final season’s flat-turf sprints beginning on the backstretch have been honest for everybody when it comes to submit place and operating model, aside from the drawback for Nearer, who was greater than 4 lengths off the tempo and received solely 31 of 140 races final season, accounting for 22 % of the winners.
For downhill turf sprints, the course is used a lot much less often than prior to now, with solely 30 downhill turf sprints happening eventually 12 months’s corresponding Santa Anita meet. These downhill sprints are normally honest to all operating kinds, however final 12 months they favored velocity horses and stalkers, with speedsters successful 12 occasions and stalkers successful 12 occasions. The nearer received solely six occasions. Knowledge collected over years and a long time exhibits that horses with medium and outdoors frames have a bonus in Santa Anita’s downhill turf sprints, which contain massive fields. It may be tough to win these races from a 1-2-3 submit place in a big subject.
Have an incredible season at ‘The Nice Race Place’. Good luck and luxuriate in Santa Anita!
