SANTA ANITA PARK’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENS NEXT THURSDAY, DEC. 26

By Victor Ryan —-

SANTA ANITA PARK’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENS NEXT THURSDAY, DEC. 26 WITH WORLD-CLASS RACING, TRADITIONAL WALL CALENDAR GIVEAWAY, CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL, FAMILY FUN ZONE AND MUCH MORE

ARCADIA, CA (Dec. 18, 2024)— Santa Anita Park will be the place to be next Thursday, Dec. 26 when the iconic racetrack opens for its 90th year of world-class Thoroughbred racing and entertainment.

Opening Day at The Great Race Place will feature an array of equine stars, including reigning Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, competing in six graded stakes, a wall calendar giveaway featuring the 13 greatest moments in Santa Anita history, a craft beer festival, Family Fun Zone in the infield, trackside dining and a whiskey tasting in Santa Anita’s opulent Chandelier Room.

Ticket packages for all the Opening Day festivities are now available for purchase at santaanita.com.

For general admission, tickets are just $10 when purchased online. Walk-up general admission is $20. Note that members of Santa Anita’s 1/ST Rewards program can purchase general admission tickets for just $5 with their loyalty cards at the Infield Admission gate on opening day.

Most of the dining packages and reserved seats are expected to sell out. Guests can explore and choose ticket packages at santaanita.com/events.

Santa Anita will also host a live-money handicapping tournament opening day, the $1,500 Opening Day Challenge. In addition to the regular prize money, participants who compete on track will be eligible to receive a $5,000 on-track bonus.

First post time opening day is 11 a.m. PT with admission gates set to open at 9 a.m.

As for the action on the track, Mystik Dan will be the first reigning Kentucky Derby winner to race at the subsequent Santa Anita winter-spring meets since the hugely popular California Chrome did in 2015. Mystik Dan, who won the 150th Kentucky Derby in May, will be featured in the 77th edition of the Grade I, $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs. He is expected to arrive at Santa Anita from his winter base at Fair Grounds in New Orleans later this week.

Set to support the Malibu on opening day are the Grade I La Brea Stakes, Grade I American Oaks, Grade II San Gabriel Stakes, Grade II Mathis Mile and the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes, formerly the San Antonio Stakes, which this year was renamed in honor of the legendary Hall of Fame jockey.

Opening day will also mark the start of Santa Anita’s popular free-to-play online contest, ShowVivor, which offers contestants $10,000 in total prize money.

For more information on what promises to be a blockbuster opening day at Santa Anita, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

About The Stronach Group
The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park – home of The California Crown and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland).
For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.