Most Iconic California Horse Racing Tracks
Author: Lindsay Griffin
California is about as far as one can get from the Blue Grass State while still remaining in the United States, so it may well surprise some to learn that it is one of the nation’s most active strongholds of Thoroughbred racing.
Indeed, there are several tracks throughout the state that have popularity that rivals- or even exceeds- that of the storied, historic tracks in the Midwest and the East Coast. Though they are, for the most part, newer than most of the prominent tracks east of the Mississippi River, these tracks have played host to some of the greatest horses, jockeys, trainers, and races of all time.
Los Alamitos Race Course
Los Alamitos Race Course was developed in 1951 and was originally known for hosting the most prestigious Quarter Horse races in the world. Several notable Quarter Horses have raced there, perhaps none more so than Go Man Go, a three-time World Champion Quarter Horse who was also the first two-year-old to earn the honor. To this day, the track hosts four races with purses of at least one million dollars, which is more than any other Quarter Horse track.
When Hollywood Park closed in 2013, however, Los Alamitos took advantage of the opportunity, expanding their track in order to host meets tailored to Thoroughbreds. Soon after, two things happened that caused the track to skyrocket in popularity. First, Art Sherman made Los Alamitos his new home track and moved his operation there, along with his famed and immensely popular Kentucky-Derby-winning colt, California Chrome.
Second, the track inherited two of Hollywood Park’s most renowned races: the Hollywood Futurity (now known as the Los Alamitos Futurity) and the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (now referred to as simply the Starlet Stakes). These rich races for two-year-olds have always been hotly contested by the top trainers in the United States, and draw huge crowds each year. D. Wayne Lukas’s win in the 2014 Starlet with eventual champion Take Charge Brandi gave him the rare distinction of having won Grade I races at Los Alamitos training both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.
Del Mar Race Track
Del Mar Race Track is described as “where the Surf meets the Turf.” It has been synonymous with Hollywood stardom since its opening in 1937; indeed, Bing Crosby was one of its developers and also frequented the track as a patron. He gave a huge shot of popularity to the track when he issued a challenge to the connections of the great Seabiscuit to race his colt, Ligaroti, in a winner-take-all match race. The race was a huge draw and the event itself proved dramatic enough to satisfy all, with Seabiscuit winning by only the barest nostril.
Del Mar continued to expand, helped by its proximity to Hollywood itself. In 1993, the track hosted its first million-dollar event, the Grade I Pacific Classic, which instantly became a major feature in the handicap division. Its greatest rendition may have been in 2022, when the undefeated champion Flightline stunned the world with a 19 1/4-length victory.
In addition, Del Mar has played host to the Breeders’ Cup races, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end championship series. The races have been run at Del Mar in 2017 and 2021, and will be holding the races for a third time in 2024.
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park’s nickname says it all: The Great Race Place.
This track in Arcadia, California, first opened its doors in 1934 and almost instantly changed the Thoroughbred racing game. This was primarily due to its marquee event, the Santa Anita Handicap, which with a $100,000 purse became the richest event in the United States.
Horses from all over the country were willing to travel to California for a shot, and the race was stamped as historic when it became known that Charles Howard, the owner of the aforementioned Seabiscuit made a “Big Cap” win Seabiscuit’s career goal. Two close losses in 1937 and 1938, combined with a year off from injury (during which, ironically, Howard won the race with Seabiscuit’s stablemate *Kayak II), made his eventual win in 1940 all the more popular- and Santa Anita Park all the more iconic.
Seabiscuit is hardly the only champion to have made his mark at Santa Anita, however. Fellow winners of the Santa Anita Handicap, now a Grade I race, include such greats as Horses of the Year Round Table, Ack Ack, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, John Henry, Alysheba, and Tiznow.
The Grade I Santa Anita Derby is one of the most prestigious road to the 2024 Kentucky Derby prep races, with recent winners I’ll Have Another, California Chrome, and Justify all eventually taking the Run for the Roses.
In addition, Santa Anita Park has hosted the Breeders’ Cup races eleven times- more than any other track. Most recently, they held the races in 2023, when Horse of the Year and two-time Vox Populi winner Cody’s Wish ended his career on a high note with a second win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and said an emotional goodbye to his beloved number one fan, Cody Dorman.
