Santa Anita Park

Arcadia, CA Activities. This renowned race track opens annually on December 26, beginning daily Santa Anita Park horse racing that continues through April 20. This includes a full schedule of stakes competitions, many of which take place into late June. Of these, the highest prized such as San Anita Handicap (Gr. 1), Santa Anita Derby (Gr. 1) and The Gold Cup at Santa Anita (Gr. 1) have purses that run as high as $500,000 to a full million dollars. In addition to these, Santa Anita’s fall meeting—presented by the Oak Tree Racing Association—occupies the track from late September to early November each year. The track was also home to the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Interestingly, the track has also been featured in a number of movies, TV shows and commercials: it can be seen in scenes from The Lone Ranger, Public Enemies, LUCK, Bones and Seabiscuit. In fact, you can even go on a special “Seabiscuit Tour” when visiting the park. This free tour includes a special tram ride to see behind-the-scenes locations where jockeys prepare—and a visit to Fighting Furrari, the horse who played Seabiscuit on screen. For horse race enthusiasts, the Santa Anita Park is a must visit attraction while staying in our City of Industry accommodations.