Santa Anita sets stakes schedule for winter, spring meets
Santa Anita’s winter meet will get off to a rollicking start on opening day, Tuesday, Dec. 26, as three Grade 1 stakes, the Malibu, the La Brea and the American Oaks, along with three Grade 2 stakes, the Mathis Mile, the San Antonio and the San Gabriel, will highlight the card.
With 78 racing dates stretching through June 16, Santa Anita’s winter and spring meets will offer a total of 90 stakes, 10 of them Grade 1 events, highlighted by the 87th running of both the Santa Anita Handicap on March 2 and the Santa Anita Derby April 6. In all, 53 graded stakes, 26 of them offered on turf, compose a diverse stakes schedule over a six-month span concluding on June 16.
Stakes schedule | Stakes Tracker | Stakes results
In addition to the opening day Malibu, for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, the La Brea, for 3-year-old fillies at the same distance, and the American Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and one quarter on turf opening day, fans and horsemen will be treated to the San Antonio, for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles, the Mathis Mile on turf for 3-year-olds and the San Gabriel Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and one eighth on grass.
Along with the iconic Big Cap on March 2, Santa Anita will offer the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) on turf, the San Felipe (G2) and the Buena Vista Stakes (G2).
In addition to the Santa Anita Derby on April 6, three-year-old fillies will go postward in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2), an important steppingstone to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Also on Santa Anita Derby Day, older fillies and mares will compete in the Monrovia Stakes (G3) and California-bred sophomores will be center stage at 6 1/2 furlongs in the Echo Eddie and the $125,000 Evening Jewel Stakes.
As California-bred and -sired runners are a vital component to the Southern California racing program, Santa Anita will offer 16 stakes restricted to those horses, with five of them to be run on California Cup day, Jan. 13 and again on California Gold Rush day, May 25.
Live racing at Santa Anita will take a brief pause after the Santa Anita Derby, as the 49-day Classic Meet will draw to a close on April 7 and the 29-day Hollywood meet will begin on Friday, April 19. The Hollywood meet will be highlighted by three Grade 1 stakes on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, the Gamely Stakes, for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, the Shoemaker Mile on turf and the Hollywood Gold Cup, for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and quarter.
The meet figures to end on a crescendo on June 16, with the 85th running of the San Juan Capistrano (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 3/4 miles over Santa Anita’s one-of-a-kind Camino Real Turf Course highlighting the day’s racing.