Santa Anita sets racing officials for 2025 autumn meet

Santa Anita announced the racing officials set to lead its autumn meet, which opens on Friday, Sept. 26, and runs for five weeks through Sunday, Oct. 26. Highlighting the 16-day stand is a stakes schedule that includes seven win-and-you’re-in qualifiers for this year’s Breeders’ Cup.

This is Baker's 28th year as a steward. The California native first served in Idaho from 1997 to 2000, then returned to his home state the following year to continue his stewarding duties. Since his initial stint at Santa Anita in 2015, Baker has been a fixture in the stewards’ stand in recent years.

Sawyer is a former jockey and trainer with more than two decades of stewarding experience. She began her career in 2001 at Thistledown, where she was the first female steward in the state of Ohio. Sawyer has been based in California since 2005.

Jauregui is a former jockey who rode more than 8,000 races from 1988 to 2006. In 2009, the CHRB appointed Jauregui to the role of safety steward, which was a newly created position and the first of its kind in the nation. He has since been a regular in the Santa Anita stewards’ stand for over a decade.

Jason Egan will continue to lead the racing department. He was elevated to the role of Santa Anita director of racing and racing secretary in January 2023. Prior to his current position, the former trainer had been Santa Anita’s racing coordinator since 2020.

Joining Egan in the racing office are current racing coordinator Steve Martinelli, assistant racing secretary Zachary Soto and stakes coordinator James Kasparoff.

Martinelli was named racing coordinator in August 2023 after serving as racing secretary at Golden Gate Fields. Soto is a former trainer and longtime fixture in California racing offices, and Kasparoff is also a former trainer who has been Santa Anita’s stakes coordinator since 2018.

Kevin Colosi returns as clerk of scales, to be aided by longtime assistant clerk of scales Charles McCaul. The clerk of the course is Linda Ramirez, Jennifer Paige is the horse ddentifier, and the horseshoe inspector is Victor Tovar.

Jay Slender will be at his usual post as starter, Dane Nelson again will serve as timer, and Horse Racing Nation will set the morning line.

The patrol judges are Jesus Calvillo Jr. and Randy Valdez, with Calvillo also set to serve as paddock judge. The three placing judges are veterans Brice Blanc, Karen Denovel and Bob Moreno.