Arcadia Big Part of Santa Anita's Opening Weekend

The first fall weekend of live racing at in two years is in the books, and it was quite a weekend of racing, food and fanfare.

A number of horses that will be on display to the world at the Nov. 4-5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., raced at Santa Anita over the weekend. One was Acclamation, a much acclaimed horse that won a $150,000 race on Sunday. Another was Creative Cause, a 2-year-old that won one of the four Grade I stakes on Saturday. Creative Cause also could be a contender in next year’s Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby is for 3-year-olds only and Creative Cause turns 3 on Jan. 1. To avoid confusion, all thoroughbreds have the same birthday – Jan. 1. For example, any horse born in 2009 turns 3 on Jan. 1, 2012.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is open to thoroughbreds of any age and sex who qualify.

There you have a few a little tidbits for Patch readers not that familiar with horse racing. Patch, in covering racing at Santa Anita, is going to take a different approach and offer information other than what you find in the Daily Racing Form and daily newspapers.

For instance, a highlight of the weekend for Arcadia residents was of new promotion called “Arcadia Day.” That was Friday, the first day of this new meet, which is officially being called the Santa Anita Autumn Meeting. It is run by Santa Anita and replaces a fall meet that was run by the Oak Tree Racing Association from 1969 to 2009 at Santa Anita and last year at Hollywood Park.

Saturday’s main promotion was the fourth in the infield, which drew another big crowd.

“” on Friday was the brainchild of Pete Siberell, the racetrack’s director of community service and special projects. Arcadia residents got free Club House admission and various Arcadia organizations were honored in the Winner’s Circle after the races.

Siberell worked with Mayor Gary Kovacic in deciding which organizations to honor. They included the Arcadia Community Coordinating Council, the Arcadia Education Foundation, the , the , the , the , , Arcadia Rotary Club and the Assistance League of Arcadia.

Special guests of the track included Kovacic and City Council members Bob Harbicht, Mickey Segal and Roger Chandler, who were all in the Winner’s Circle after the third race. In a quirk of scheduling, that was the day’s feature race. Generally a feature race is later in the program, often the eighth race.

Of the City Council members at the track Friday, Segal, a popular Arcadia philanthropist, is the biggest fan of horse racing. For five or six years beginning in the mid ’80s, Segal was involved in a five-person partnership that owned horses.

During that time, the partnership’s horses won 60 races.

 “We claimed our first horse for $50,000, with each of us putting up $10,000,” Segal said. 

It’s fairly common for city officials to be guests of Santa Anita on special days. Usually they are in the exclusive Director’s Room. But on Friday the Director’s Room was rented out for prominent horseman Robert Irvine’s 90^th birthday party.

So the city officials were relegated to small tables in the Turf Club in front of the Director’s Room. But no one was complaining.

“We’re just glad to be invited,” said Barb Kovacic, the mayor’s wife.

Attendees to Irvine’s birthday party took up most of the space in the Director’s Room, but two tables were reserved for board members of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which still exists. It is one way Santa Anita is attempting to show good will toward the Oak Tree board.

However, missing was Sherwood “Chilly” Chillingsworth, Oak Tree’s popular and highly respected longtime executive director. Chillingsworth came down with double pneumonia last Tuesday and spent four days at Arcadia Methodist Hospital.

“I’m on the mend,” he said Sunday. “I hope to be back at Santa Anita next weekend.”

Joining the Arcadia city officials in the Winner’s Circle after Friday's third race was John Barr, the organization’s president, and Tom Proctor, the trainer of the winning horse, Broken Dreams.

Racing at Santa Anita resumes on Thursday and continues through Monday with a special Columbus Day card.