Santa Anita Starts Off on Positive Notes

It is the day after Christmas, and for Arcadia that means live horse racing is back at . The 75th Winter-Spring Meet opens today, and for the first time in awhile there are mostly positive signs.

The Arcadia racetrack is coming off a successful Autumn Meet which had increased field sizes and decent attendance figures. And it appears that the track surface is no longer the issue it was the past five years.

The new HBO series, “Luck,” in which a lot of scenes were filmed at Santa Anita, should boost interest. The series which makes its regular debut Jan. 29 used a lot of Santa Anita regulars as extras and retired jockey Gary Stevens has a fairly significant role.

There are a lot of other things that has Santa Anita President George Haines looking forward to a successful meet.

“Fans will notice that we have a new state-of-the-art video board in the infield as well as two new video screens on each side of the paddock,” Haines said.

He also pointed out that the track has a new mobile wagering system which will allow fans to bet without leaving their seat. On-track fans can access the system at mobile.santaanita.com and also visit sign-up booths on the first-floor of the Santa Anita grandstand area and also in the FrontRunner restaurant.

If they prefer to stay home and miss out on the excitement of live racing, there is good news here too. It is a new deal that the horse racing network HRTV made with KVMD, Channel 31, a local broadcast station, to carry much of its programming, including live racing from Santa Anita from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

For years, HRTV, which televises Santa Anita racing, has not been available on DirecTV and most area cable systems. But now HRTV, for the most part, will be available for viewing on KVMD. Viewers can go hrtv.com and check the KVMD page to get channel listings for cable systems.

 Another plus is a new gourmet pizza kitchen located in Sirona’s, overlooking the paddock area.

 A negative that still rubs horse players the wrong way is the increase in the takeout of winning wagers on exotic multi-horse bets such as exactas and trifectas in California. Implemented in 2010, this has meant less money for bettors and more for race purses.

The idea is that increased purse sizes would result in fuller fields, which generally has been the case. But of course bettors would rather have the money.

“The California horse racing industry as a whole is evaluating these decisions,” Haines said. “We believe that it is important to find the right balance. We can never pay too much attention to the bettors. We have to listen to our customers.”

Speaking of customers, Santa Anita is putting more emphasis on fan promotions.

“The goal is to have an event or promotion going on every weekend during out 17-week season,” Haines said.

Chris Quinn has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing and is off and running. Opening Day today features a calendar giveaway, a hat contest and a guaranteed $400,000 Pick 4.

Patch will keep readers advised of the various promotions throughout the meet, such as Photography Day on Dec. 29, a “Luck” premiere ticket drawing Jan. 7 and, through a new partnership with Treasure Island Casino, a Las Vegas getaway drawing Jan. 21.

Another positive is the return of legendary track announcer Trevor Denman, who is embarking on his 29th year as the voice of Santa Anita.

As for the racing, there are four graded stakes on today’s card, highlighted by the $300,000 Malibu Stakes. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has four horses entered in the race, including 7-2 morning line favorite The Factor.

For one trainer to have four horses in one race is almost unheard of in thoroughbred racing. But it is not so rare in quarter-horse racing, where Baffert got his start.

“I think it was the Prescott Futurity back in 1982 where I started six of the eight horses in the race and didn’t win it,” Baffert recalled. I finished second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.”

Baffert would probably settle for a first and second in the Malibu.

SANTA ANITA NUTS AND BOLTS

What: 75th Santa Anita Winter-Spring Meet

Schedule: Dec. 26-April 22. Racing four days a week, Thursday through Sunday, plus three Mondays: Jan. 2, Jan. 16, Feb. 20.

Post Time: Noon today, Jan. 28, and Feb. 4; 11 a.m. Feb. 5 (Super Bowl Sunday); 12:30 p.m. on all other weekend days and 1 p.m. every Thursday and Friday.

Today’s Featured Races: The Grade I $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds (ninth race), Grade II $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes for 3-year-olds (eighth race), $100,000 California Breeders Champion for 2-year-olds (seventh race), $100,000 California Breeders Champion for 2-year-old fillies (first race).

Other highlights: Jan. 28, Sunshine Millions Day; Feb. 4, Strub Stakes, March 3, Santa Anita Handicap; April 7, Santa Anita Derby.

ADMISSION: $5 for general, $8.50 for Club House, $20 for Turf Club. Children 17 and under free when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

RANDOM FACTS: The stable area consists of 2,000 stalls in 61 barns, with approximately 2,000 horses on the 320-acre Santa Anita Park site. Seating capacity is 26,000 in the grandstand area. The infield has room for some 50,000.