Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita

Racing officials and the Mayors of two cities made it official Wednesday with a press conference to announce that horse racing’s biggest global event, the Breeders’ Cup, will return to Santa Anita Park in 2012.

The two-day annual World Championships event will return on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, it was announced today (Wednesday, Aug. 10) by Breeders’ Cup Limited at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. It has been run in Arcadia five times before dating back to 1986, including an unprecedented back-to-back hosting in 2008 and 2009, the latter of which featured the spectacular comeback win of then-undefeated mare Zenyatta.

“Hosting the Breeders’ Cup is…  an honor for Santa Anita to be chosen as host of the Breeders’ Cup… ,” said Frank Stronach, Chairman of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita.

Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic and Mayor Pro Tem Bob Harbicht joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Breeders’ Cup President & CEO Craig Fravel, Stronach Group President Greg Avioli, and California Horse Racing Board Chairman Keith Brackpool to support the media event today.

“With the Breeders’ Cup, the entire horse racing world literally comes to Arcadia, my beautiful hometown and Santa Anita, our city’s crown jewel,” Kovacic said. “Visitors from all over the world will enjoy our friendly community with its many first-class hotels, restaurants and attractions. As in past years, our community will also contribute greatly to the corps of 350 to 400 volunteers working the event.” Harbicht added, “Arcadia, with its history, is well prepared to host an event the magnitude of the Breeders’ Cup.” Kovacic said he hopes the Breeders’ Cup decides to stay here for good, something that was said on the verge of happening after the 2009 event until Santa Anita was forced to cancel races, replace the synthetic track, suffer through a bankruptcy, and discontinued its decades-long relationship with Oak Tree Racing for the fall meet during which the Breeders’ Cup has always been run at Santa Anita.

“This prestigious, international sporting phenomenon will boost our local economy and generate tens of millions of dollars in economic impact to the region.” said Mayor Villaraigosa. The Breeders’ Cup, the richest prize-money event in sports with 15 races and purses totaling $26 million, generated in excess of $60 million in economic impact in the Los Angeles area in both 2008 and 2009. Kovacic told a reporter that the tax revenue alone for Arcadia in the past has been around $3 million. The 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cup championships set records in attendance, wagering, and the most international starters in event history with 34 participants from outside the US in the 27-year history of the event, which will be run Nov4-5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky, and televised on ABC/ESPN to more than 130 countries.

The decision followed a lengthy review process by the Breeders’ Cup Host Site Selection Committee, which included proposals from multiple racing venues in North America.

— By Scott Hettrick