'Arcadia Day' Highlights Santa Anita's Opening Day

Live racing this time of year returns to on Friday after a one-year absence.  From 1969 through 2009 there was a fall meet at Santa Anita run by the Oak Tree Racing Association. But last year the Oak Tree meet was held at Hollywood Park.

Oak Tree, which consisted of a 15-member board headed by Sherwood “Chilly” Chillingsworth, used to rent Santa Anita to the tune of $4 million dollars a year. But Santa Anita officials and owner Frank Stronach decided they wanted to run their own meet. Essentially, the landlord kicked out the tenant by making the Oak Tree board an offer it had to refuse.

So this meet is now simply called the Santa Anita Autumn meet. It still is live horse racing at Santa Anita in the fall, just under a different banner and different management. There will be 24 racing days over a little more than five weeks. The meet ends Nov. 6.

During the meet, there will be live racing Thursday through Sunday, with one exception – that being live racing on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 10.

Of note to residents is that opening day on Friday has been declared “Arcadia Day.” That means, with proof of residency, Arcadia residents get free Club House admission at the historic racetrack. There will be an “Arcadia Day” booth just outside the Club House admission gate at the east end of the track.

So if you live in Arcadia and never experienced a day at the track, here is an offer you can’t refuse. Gates open at 11 a.m. and post time for the first race is 1 p.m.

“Our neighbors are very important to us,” said. “We hope to renew acquaintances and make some new friends as well.”

Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic said, “The economic impact of having live racing here is tremendous, from the business generated by those attending the races to the jobs they help create.”

Something that may appeal to first-timers is a new 50-cent wager involving the first five races. Called the Players’ Pick Five, all you have to do to win big money is pick all five winners.

Actually, it’s not that easy, so you might want to add a few horses for a comparatively small investment. There will be no consolation payout for those picking four winners. The takeout of 14% is considerably lower than the takeout for other multi-horse and multi-race bets.

On Saturday will be another big promotion – the fourth Gourmet Food Festival in Santa Anita’s infield. The track was unprepared for the huge crowd the first one drew last year but preparations were better for the next two.

Approximately 70 vendors are expected for Saturday’s Gourmet Food Festival, including the Grilled Cheese, the Lobsta Track, Ragin Cajun, Shrimp Pimp, White Rabbit, and Norm Nom. And two live bands will perform.

The festival is free with a $5 general admission ticket. Parking lots open at 10:30 a.m., gates at 11. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with racing again beginning at 1 p.m.

On Sunday and all succeeding Sundays is another new promotion. Fans in the Sirona’s Bar who fill out a contest card and pick the last four races and four NFL games will win or share $500 above what they win at the pari-mutuel windows. Also, members of Santa Anita Thoroughbreds club will have a chance to win a Santa Anita football-type jersey.

On Sunday, Oct. 7, Santa Anita will host its second Photography Day in the Clocker’s Corner area, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Novice and professional photographers will be able to photograph the morning workouts, which conclude at 10 a.m.

Oh yes, of course there will be plenty of top-notch racing throughout the meet, which offers 13 graded stakes and six Grade I races. Four of those Grade 1 stakes will be run Saturday, with three of the races being televised by ESPN.

Friday’s card will be highlighted by the $100,000 Grade III Senator Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares 3 years old and up. The favorite figures to be Unzip Me, who is part-owned by John Harris of Harris Ranch fame.

On Sunday, the feature is the $250,000 Grade I Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The favorite here figures to be Weemissfrankie, part-owned by MTV host Rob Dyrdek.

All five of the Grade I stakes this weekend have Breeders’ Cup implications. This year’s Breeders’ Cup, the Super Bowl of horse racing, will be held Nov. 4-5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Next year, the will be held during this meet at Santa Anita.