Horse Racing

Breeders' Cup returns to L.A. area for 2003

The Sport of Kings has yielded some of the most memorable moments in Los Angeles sports history. In the Sports Council's survey of the 100 greatest moments in 1995, four came from horse racing, each a jewel in itself: no. 74, Johnny Longden's final, winning ride aboard George Royal at Santa Anita on March 12, 1966; no. 87, the first Santa Anita Handicap that put the new track on the map for good on February 23, 1935; no. 94, the sixth Santa Anita Handicap on March 2, 1940, when Sea Biscuit triumphed in his final race and no. 96 when Bill Shoemaker won his 1,000th Stakes race aboard Peace on April 30, 1989 at Hollywood Park.

Thoroughbred championship racing's climatic event, the Breeders' Cup, began at Hollywood Park on November 10, 1984 and has been held in Southern California in 1986 (Santa Anita), 1987 (HollyPark), 1993 (Santa Anita), 1997 (HollyPark) and on October 25, 2003, again at Santa Anita.

Links

• California Horse Racing Board

• Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

• Fairplex Park

• Hollywood Park

• Los Alamitos Race Course

• Santa Anita Park

Quick Facts

• Major racing meets in Southern California include the winter meeting at Santa Anita from December 26 through late April; Hollywood Park from late April to late July and mid-November to mid-December; the L.A.County Fair meet at Fairplex in September and the Oak Tree Meeting at Santa Anita from late September to early November.
  

• Los Alamitos offers quarter-horse and some Thoroughbred, Appaloosa, Paint and other racing year-round on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.