The Santa Anita Handicap is an 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 ...

held annually in early March 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 race ...

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 t ...

. It is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

race for

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season. The ten-

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 any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

Santa Anita Handicap currently offers a purse of $300,000 (2025.)

History

The first race was held in 1935, just months after the track opened in late 1934, and the event was open to three-year-olds and up until 1969. The Santa Anita Handicap instantly became one of the nation's top races because it offered a minimum purse of $100,000, then a staggering amount for a horse race. In its early years, the race was most commonly referred to among horsemen and racing media as the "Hundred-Grander." Another nickname for the race dating back to that time, "The Big 'Cap", is still in regular use. Probably the dominant figure in the early years of the race was

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-hors ...

, as the race proved to be a metaphor for his career. In his first two attempts to win it in 1937 and 1938, he lost in

photo finish A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the fini ...

es, with the second loss to a horse carrying 30 pounds less than he was. He suffered what was believed to be a career-ending injury while preparing for the 1939 edition. He came back to run in the Hundred-Grander in 1940, finally winning in his last race. The 2019 race was postponed from early March to early April due to Santa Anita's safety-related suspension of live racing.

Records

Speed record: * 1:58.17 – Game On Dude (2014) Most wins: * 3 – Game On Dude (2011, 2013, 2014) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

: * 11 –

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," ...

(1954, 1955, 1958, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1985) Most wins by a trainer: * 9 – Charlie Whittingham (1957, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1993) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most successful Bui ...

(1939, 1940, 1950) * 3 – Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable & Bernard C. Schiappa (2011, 2013, 2014) * 3 – Hronis Racing LLC (2018, 2019, 2020)

Winners

* † In 1952,

Intent An intention is a mental state in which a person commits themselves to a course of action. Having the plan to visit the zoo tomorrow is an example of an intention. The action plan is the ''content'' of the intention while the commitment is the '' ...

won the race but was disqualified to second place. * † In 1982, Perrault won the race but was disqualified to second place. * † In 1994, The Wicked North won the race but was disqualified to fourth place.

Notes

External links

{{commons category, Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Handicap at Pedigree Query
Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Open middle distance horse races Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 1935 1935 establishments in California