NEW TURF COURSE AWAITS FANS & HORSEMEN AS SANTA ANITA OFFERS SIX GRADE I BREEDERS’ CUP PREPS OVER FIRST TWO WEEKENDS & A TOTAL OF 28 GRADED STAKES OVER COURSE OF 23-DAY MEET
ARCADIA, Calif. (Aug. 15, 2016)—Santa Anita Park, which will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for an unprecedented ninth time on Nov. 4 & 5, has announced it will offer a total of 28 graded stakes, including 13 Breeders’ Cup events over the course of its 23-day Autumn Meet, which begins Friday, Sept. 30. (A total of 41 stakes, graded and non, have been scheduled.)
The Grade III Eddie D. Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up, will serve as the meet’s initial stakes offering on opening day and will be contested at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course, which now consists of a newly installed Bandera Bermuda hybrid.
The Great Race Place will offer six Grade I Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge races over the first two weekends as horsemen will be afforded ample opportunities to prepare their horses for a wide array of Breeders’ Cup assignments on Nov. 4 & 5.
“We’re excited to be getting everyone back as we anticipate some great racing in advance of the Breeders’ Cup in November,” said Santa Anita’s Vice President of Racing, Rick Hammerle.
The Autumn Meet will get off to a fast start, as five Grade I Breeders’ Cup preps will be offered on the first Saturday, Oct. 1: The FrontRunner Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, the Awesome Again Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, the Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares going 1 ¼ miles on turf, the Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles and the Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
The following Saturday, Oct. 8, the Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship will serve as a springboard to the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 5.
In addition to the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Oct. 8, Santa Anita will again partner with one of the nation’s leading cancer research and treatment centers, as the track will present the Grade II City of Hope Mile (turf) for 3-year-olds and up. World renowned City of Hope is headquartered just east of Arcadia in neighboring Duarte.
“In addition to our graded stakes, our state-bred program is of great importance to us and we’re happy to again offer, in conjunction with the CTBA, the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4 and the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile on Breeders’ Cup Classic Day, Nov. 5,” said Hammerle. “Both of these stakes are part of the Golden State program. We’ll also card a couple of Cal-bred races at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course—the California Distaff Handicap for fillies and mares on Oct. 15 and the California Flag Handicap on Oct. 22.”
“We’re thrilled to have these races scheduled on the two biggest days in racing,” said Doug Burge, CTBA Executive Vice President and General Manager. “The Golden State program offers our owners and breeders tremendous opportunities and we’re confident they will attract competitive fields for our fans to bet on.
“Getting national exposure for our breeding and incentive programs is a big priority and we achieve that by running in conjunction with the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 4 and 5.”
The complete 2016 Autumn Meet Stakes Schedule is below:
Fri, Sep 30 EDDIE D STAKES (G III) $100,000 3 & UP abt 6 1/2 F (T)
Sat, Oct 1 FRONTRUNNER STAKES (G I) $300,000 2 YO 1 1/16 M BC Challenge Sat, Oct 1 AWESOME AGAIN STAKES (G I) $300,000 3 & UP 1 1/8 M BC Challenge Sat, Oct 1 RODEO DRIVE STAKES (G I) $300,000 F/M, 3 & UP 1 1/4 M (T) BC Challenge Sat, Oct 1 ZENYATTA STAKES (G I) $300,000 F/M, 3 & UP 1 1/16 M BC Challenge Sat, Oct 1 CHANDELIER STAKES (G I) $300,000 F, 2 YO 1 1/16 M BC Challenge Sat, Oct 1 UNZIP ME STAKES $70,000+ F, 3 YO abt 6 1/2 F (T)
Sun, Oct 2 JOHN HENRY TURF CHAMPIONSHIP (G II) $200,000 3 & UP 1 1/4 M (T)
Sat, Oct 8 CITY OF HOPE MILE (G II) $200,000 3 & UP 1 M (T)
Sat, Oct 8 SANTA ANITA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP (G I) $300,000 3 & UP 6 F BC Challenge Sat, Oct 8 SWINGTIME STAKES ® $70,000+ F/M, 3 & UP 1 M (T)
Sun, Oct 9 LA WOMAN STAKES (G III) $100,000 F/M, 3 & UP 6 1/2 F
Mon, Oct 10 ZUMA BEACH STAKES $100,000 2 YO 1 M (T)
Mon, Oct 10 SURER GIRL STAKES $100,000 F, 2 YO 1 M (T)
Sat, Oct 15 CALIFORNIA DISTAFF HANDICAP $100,000 F/M, 3 & UP (CA) abt 6 1/2 F (T)
Sun, Oct 16 SPEAKEASY STAKES $70,000+ 2 YO 6 F
Sat, Oct 22 CALIFORNIA FLAG HANDICAP $100,000 3 & UP (CA) abt 6 1/2 F (T)
Sun, Oct 23 ANOAKIA STAKES $70,000+ F, 2 YO 6 F
Sat, Oct 29 AUTUMN MISS STAKES (G III) $100,000 F, 3 YO 1 M (T)
Sun, Oct 30 LURE STAKES ® $70,000+ 3 & UP 1 M (T)
Fri, Nov 4 Breeders’ Cup
Fri, Nov 4 GOLDEN STATE JUVENILE FILLIES $200,000 F, 2 YO (CA) 7 F
Fri, Nov 4 TWILIGHT DERBY (G II) $200,000 3 YO 1 1/8 M (T)
Fri, Nov 4 MARATHON STAKES (G II) $200,000 3 & UP 1 3/4 M
Fri, Nov 4 DAMASCUS STAKES $100,000 3 & UP 7 F
Sat, Nov 5 Breeders’ Cup
Sat, Nov 5 GOLDEN STATE JUVENILE $200,000 2 YO (CA) 7 F
Sat, Nov 5 JUVENILE TURF SPRINT STAKES $100,000 2 YO abt 6 1/2 F (T)
Sat, Nov 5 SEN. KEN MADDY STAKES (G lll) $100,000 F/M, 3 & UP abt. 6 1/2 (T)
Sun, Nov 6 GOLDIKOVA STAKES (G II) $200,000 F/M, 3 & UP 1 M (T)
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