95,000 at Santa Anita Breeders’ Cup

Between two weeks of overcast skies, the weather turned clear and spectacular for national TV coverage and the nearly 95,000 people who went through the turnstiles at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia during the two-day Breeders’ Cup event Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2, 2013. That was a 5% increase over last year’s two-day crowd of 89,742, and the second biggest at Santa Anita in recent years after the combined 96,496 in 2009, the year Mike Smith rode Zenyatta into history in one of the most memorable races ever.

Gary Stevens running Mucho Macho Man to victory in Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2, 2013

This year’s event had its own set of new records and memorable moments, with 50-year-old jockey Gary Stevens coming out of a seven-year retirement to win the BC finale $5 million Classic by a nose for the first time in his Hall of Fame career and in prime time on NBC no less. And 48-year-old Smith won three races to extend his BC records to 20 victories and $25,614,260 in earnings. Smith also rode to second, third, and fourth place finishes in other races to earn his second consecutive Bill Shoemaker Award for the weekend. And popular Santa Anita trainer Bob Baffert’s two victories brought his BC total to 10, moving him into second behind only D. Wayne Lukas.

Breeders’ Cup, which was hosted in a different city each year for its first 25 years of existence until an unprecedented back-to-back run at Santa Anita in 2008-09, has already committed to return to Arcadia for a never-before-scheduled third consecutive year in 2014 (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) despite far larger crowds and slightly bigger betting handles in other locations such as Churchill Downs in Kentucky (114,353 fans and $173 million in betting in 2010.

“We’re thrilled with the crowd over both days, strong wagering levels and our gracious hosts here at Santa Anita, Arcadia and the greater Los Angeles area,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel.

On Saturday alone, the crowd of 58,795 was 6.6% bigger than last year’s attendance of 55,123, following the Friday crowd of 35,833, according to Breeders’ Cup officials.

Nearly $161 million was bet on races during the two days from all betting outlets, an 11% increase over last year, while bets placed at the track itself increased 2% to $21 million. Total two-day wagering on the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championship races up 7% to nearly $137 million, and Saturday betting up 13% to $109 million.

Stevens pushes Mucho Macho Man (inside) to hang on for victory against furious finish line push by horse trained by Bob Baffert

The Breeders’ Cup helped push Santa Anita’s 24-day Autumn Meet, which ended Sunday, Nov. 3, up 12% in overall handle and up 16% in out-of-state handle. The number of horses in each race during the meet was also strong, with an average of nine horses per race from Sept. 27 -Nov. 4. Attendance and wagers placed at the track itself were flat for the overall meet.

The next and main racing season at Santa Anita opens December 26, with the first-ever extended season running until early July rather than ending in mid-April, due to the closure of Hollywood Park this year. “We intend to build upon the foundation we’ve established at this meet,” said Santa Anita Chairman Keith Brackpool. “The future of racing and of Santa Anita is bright; we have an incredible, historic venue, and the renovations we’ve made have merged the glory of Santa Anita’s original design with amenities now necessary for long range success in the decades to come.”

For information on upcoming events, reservations and live racing, please visit santaanita.com, or call (626) 574-RACE.

— By Scott Hettrick