On the wings of a sensational two-day Breeders’ Cup World
Championships on Friday and Saturday, Santa Anita’s 24-day Autumn Meet
ended on an upbeat note Sunday as overall handle on Santa Anita races
was up two percent compared to last year and on-track attendance
(excluding Nov. 2 & 3), was up one percent.
With 34,619 attending on Friday and 55,123 on Saturday, The
Great Race Place once again served as racing’s ultimate showcase,
highlighted by the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. A
total of $147,871,672 was wagered over the two days: $49,089,432 on
Friday and $98,782,239 on Saturday.
“The 2012 Breeders’ Cup was a tremendous success every way you
looked at it,” said Santa Anita CEO Mark Verge. “We had great racing,
great weather and we exposed thousands of new people to Santa Anita and
to the beauty and excitement of horse racing. Most importantly, we had
two days of injury-free competition, which is always our top priority.”
Beginning with the opening day Eddie D Stakes, the Autumn Meet
was marked by a number of news names for stakes and by many new and
innovative promotions.
Santa Anita’s first-ever 626 Night Market, staged in the
track’s Infield area on Oct. 20 and 21, attracted more 40,000 people,
primarily Asian-American families, and was a rousing success as it
underscored Santa Anita’s intensified efforts to expand its customer
base in the local community.
The 626 Night Market served as platform for a wide array of
Asian businesses and young entrepreneurs who were there to promote their
businesses, products and services. Live DJs, performance artists, new
cars and family-themed games were all on display over the two days.
“The response on both days was overwhelming,” said Verge. “This
was our first time ever hosting the 626 Night Market and while our
expectations were high, we were blown away by the response. Moving
forward, we think this is a great fit for all of us and it provides us
with a mechanism to connect with our neighbors and to expose them to our
facility and to our great sport.”
The Autumn Meet also introduced myriad initiatives to better
assist the guest’s experience. “I’ve never seen a family of employees
that are so passionate about what they do,” said Jimmy Dunne, Santa
Anita Chief Creative Officer. “We know our guests have many choices out
there, and we’ve been thrilled to see how many people have discovered
this extraordinary home to racing.”
“Santa Anita is poised to lead our industry into the future and
we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” said Verge. “We’d
like to sincerely thank our fans and horseman for all of their support
throughout the meet and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back the day
after Christmas.”