Santa Anita Park revises stakes schedule as racing resumes

With California Horse Racing Board approval expected Thursday, Santa Anita Park will reopen for live racing on Friday with the Grade 2, $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes headlining proceedings. First post time will be 1 p.m. PT.

Santa Anita, which has been closed for live racing since March 3, has also issued a revised stakes schedule, with eight stakes, six of them graded, relocated on what will be a busy racing calendar.

As part of the revised schedule, the 82nd running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap, which was originally scheduled for March 9, will now be run Saturday, April 6. With the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby leading the way April 6, Santa Anita will also offer a third Grade 1 stakes, the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks.   

Also on Santa Anita Derby Day, the Grade 2, $200,000 Royal Heroine and the Grade 3, $150,000 Providencia will be complemented by two additional stakes, the $200,000 Evening Jewel and the Echo Eddie, making for a total of seven added-money events on a blockbuster afternoon.

Along with the Santa Anita Handicap, two other graded stakes originally scheduled for Big ’Cap Day have been rescheduled and will now be included in a total of six graded stakes to be run on Saturday, March 30: the Grade 1, $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf and the Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos will also be joined by the Grade 1, $400,000 Beholder Mile (originally scheduled for March 16), the Grade 3, $100,000 San Simeon (originally scheduled for March 16), and the Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes.          

Horsemen have also been advised that the following stakes, which were also originally scheduled to be run during Santa Anita’s period of inactivity, have been rescheduled. The $100,000 Irish O’Brien has been moved to March 31, as has the $100,000 Sensational Star and the $75,000 Santana Mile.   

Entries for Friday, March 29 were to be taken Sunday.