Southern California racing returns on September29th when the autumn meet at Santa Anita Park is set to begin. Racing at the Arcadia track will run through Breeders’ Cup weekend, with closing day being Sunday, November 5th. The autumn season at Santa Anita is one of the fall season’s premier meets and is sure to offer prime betting opportunities, big purses, and high-quality racing on both … Continue reading Santa Anita Opens On Friday
There are several ways for Thoroughbreds to arrive at the Breeders’ Cup: All Thoroughbred foals (baby horses) are eligible to be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup before October 15th of the year they’re born; it’s a $400 fee that ensures that foal will be eligible to the Breeders’ Cup when he or she is of racing age. If a racehorse isn’t nominated to the Breeders’ … Continue reading How To Qualify For The Breeders’ Cup
After the meet is complete at Saratoga, horse racing fans then turn their attention to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. A two-day extravaganza of important Stakes events for Thoroughbreds competing in various divisions according to age, sex, surface (dirt or turf) and distance. This years Breeders’ Cup is taking place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on November 3rd and 4th. The two days of Breeders’ Cup racing represent the sports … Continue reading The Breeders’ Cup
Javier Castellano is a four-time Eclipse Award Winning jockey and a member of racing’s Hall of Fame. On Sunday he will be accompanied by friends, family members, and a number of his fellow riders at Santa Anita, where he will accept the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award Trophy in a Winner’s Circle ceremony. Castellano, 45, immigrated from his native Venezuela in 1997, was one of … Continue reading Castellano To Receive George Woolf Award
The holiday season annually brings west coast racing fans a gift they might actually want – albeit a day late, so let’s call it horse racing’s version of Boxing Day in southern California. On December 26th Santa Anita Park begins its winter racing season. The track celebrates its traditional post-Christmas opening day, which marks the start of a new season of racing at the Arcadia … Continue reading West Coast Racing
On Friday afternoon the American Graded Stakes Committee released its list of graded stakes races for the for 2023 season. The list included five races that were downgraded from Grade I status to Grade II contests. Included in the downgrades were prestigious NYRA races for older dirt horses- the Woodward Stakes as well as the Cigar Mile will now be considered Grade II’s. Also dropping … Continue reading NYRA Downgrades
The Daily Racing Blog wishes the incomparable Johnny Velazquez a belated Happy Birthday. The Hall Of Fame jockey celebrated his 51st lap around the solar track yesterday (Thanksgiving). A native of Puerto Rico, Johnny V as he’s affectionately known, is Thoroughbred racing’s all-time leading money Winning jockey, with career purse earnings of more than $446 million from 6,357 Wins. A Winner of three Kentucky Derbies, Velazquez has Won … Continue reading Belated Birthday Greetings
Santa Anita Park concluded its six-month 2021-22 winter-spring season on June 19th as the safest track in North America among those with a comparable volume of racing and training. Santa Anita Park’s record is highlighted by a 62.5 percent improvement from the previous year. From December 26th, 2021, through closing day June 19th, the main dirt track did not have a single musculoskeletal racing fatality … Continue reading Santa Anita Gets Safer
The Derby door of opportunity is still ajar, but time is running out. There are three major preps this Saturday each offering 100 points to the Winning horse, which virtually locks down a spot in the gate on May 7th. Here then, the big three this weekend: THE WOOD MEMORIAL STAKES New York’s premier Kentucky Derby prep race is contested at 1 1/8 miles (9 … Continue reading Three Big Preps On Saturday
There are no Derby prep races this weekend. But, the 100-40-20-10 point preps are at hand- eight races compressed into 15 days, beginning next Saturday (03/26). As long as they are eligible (aka not Baffert horses), the Winners are mathematically assured of berths in the starting gate in the Run For The Roses. The 2nd-place horses have a good shot at getting there as well. … Continue reading Where The Winners Prep
