The Santa Anita Sprint Championship is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for horses aged three years old or older over the distance of six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s on the dirt scheduled annually in September at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $200,000.

History

The race was originally named in honor of the California-bred horse

Ancient Title {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ancient Title , image = , caption = , sire = Gummo , grandsire = Fleet Nasrullah , dam = Hi Little Gal , damsire = Bar Le Duc , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1970 , country = United States , colour = Ba ...

, a two-time

California Horse of the Year The California Horse of the Year is an American horse racing honor awarded annually since 1973 by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) to a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the state of California. Winners *2021 - Lieutenant Dan * ...

and a

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

inductee. The inaugural running of the event was at

Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to: Places United States * Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California * Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois * Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and m ...

as an overnight stakes event for three year olds on 23 December 1983 over a distance of miles. The following year the distance of the event was shortened to 1 mile. In 1985 the event was moved to the

Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, some ...

meeting at Santa Anita Park as a sprint for horses three-year-olds and older over six furlongs. In 1990 the event was classified by the American Graded Stakes Committee as Grade III and was upgraded to Grade II status in 1999. In 2001 the event was upgraded to Grade I. In 2012 the event was renamed to the Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Between 1990 and 2006, the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

sponsored the event which reflected in the name of the event. The event is part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

series, the winner of the race automatically qualifies for the

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

. As of 2020 the race was downgraded to Grade II.

Records

Time record: * 1:07.53 - Cost of Freedom (2008) Margins: *4 lengths – Sam Who (1989) Most wins: * 2 -

Roy H Roy H (foaled April 22, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who is the two time winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He was named the American Champion Sprint Horse of 2017 and 2018. He did not start racing until age three, when he won only one ra ...

(2017, 2018) Most wins by an owner: * 2 -

J. Paul Reddam John Paul Reddam B.A. M.A. Ph.D. (born July 28, 1955) is a Canadian businessman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner and a former professor of philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles. Biography Career Known by his middle name, J. Paul R ...

(2001, 2004) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 4 - Ed Delahoussaye (1990, 1993, 1996, 2001) * 4 - Kent J. Desormeaux (1992, 1998, 1999, 2017) * 4 -

Mike E. Smith Michael Earl Smith (born August 10, 1965) is an American jockey who has been one of the leading riders in U.S. Thoroughbred racing since the early 1990s, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2003, and has won the ...

(2011, 2013, 2019, 2022) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 - John W. Sadler (1988, 1991, 1995, 2008)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry

References

{{commons category, Santa Anita Park Open sprint category horse races 1983 establishments in California Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1983 Breeders' Cup Challenge series Santa Anita Park Horse races in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

References