Santa Anita Park History

Santa Anita Park that was established in 1934 is the oldest racetrack of Southern California. Santa Anita Handicap earned the nickname – the ‘Big Cap’ due to its largest amount of purse handling; it was raced for the first time in Santa Anita Park during February 1935. Photo finish technique was implemented in those early years at Santa Anita for recording dead heats. Seabiscuit, one of the popular horses in this racetrack, won the Santa Anita Handicap in 1940 even at his last start. Between the years – 1942 and 1945, Santa Anita was used as a camp for Japanese-Americans.

The 1960s brought about a major renovation of Santa Anita Park, including a much-expanded grandstand as well as major seating additions. During summer Olympics of 1984, Santa Anita was used as the site of equestrian events. The Santa Anita horseracing event draws massive crowds every year. The 2007 Santa Anita Derby Day attracted 56,810 people setting a new record in the history of the game.