Everyone is waiting for the opening of Santa Anita Park. Live racing returns on 26th December 2022 and runs right through to 18th June 2023.
Californian racing is firing on all cylinders - the Del Mar's Winter meet closed only yesterday. The three-week Bing Crosby Season offered world-class turf encounters, strong field size and safe racing, plus a record handle wagered in a non-Breeders' Cup year.
Jockey Flavien Prat won his sixth Del Mar title, "Where the Surf Meets The Turf", by bringing home 24 firsts in 86 mounts, an exceptional 28% win rate. In the nine-race final day card, Prat got six winners. One of these wins was aboard super-mare Regal Glory, who won the Matriarch Stakes for the second year running - see video below, before being ushered into retirement.
Santa Anita Park's season opens strongly with three Grade 1 races - the RunHappy Malibu Stakes, LaBrea and American Oaks.
The New Year meeting (30, 31 December and 01 January) is expected to be well-attended, with an array of stakes races to broadcast.
The normal Santa Anita weekly schedule has racing on Friday - Sunday (but also running across many Mondays).
On 26th December, first post will be at 11am PT / 2.00pm ET / 7.00pm GMT / 8.00pm CET, and there will be nine races.
After the opening fixtures, expect race days to comprise 10 races, and open with the first race one hour later than above:
Noon PT / 3.00pm ET / 8.00pm GMT / 9.00pm CET
There are a total of 93 stakes races in the Santa Anita season, 10 of which are Grade I's.
The $500,000 Grade I Santa Anita Handicap will be run on 4th March.
The $750,000 Grade I Santa Anita Derby, which has produced 19 Kentucky Derby winners and was won last spring by Taiba, is scheduled for 8th April.
Closing day is 18th June.
