Santa Anita: The Great Race Place

Jill's Journal: Santa Anita Park in Arcadia may not have the glory of Churchill Downs in Kentucky or the grandeur of Belmont Park in New York (the only other two tracks in the country with a similar breadth and scope), but it has a special vibrancy and California casualness that still makes it one of my favorite racetracks. And it’s beautiful. On a clear day, the San Gabriel Mountains make an exquisite backdrop for the poetry that is gorgeous Thoroughbreds doing what they love to do.

Santa Anita also isn’t quite as old and historic as Churchill or Belmont – Churchill’s got about 60 years and Belmont’s got about 30 years on “The Great Race Place” – but I suppose Kentucky and New York also have a good number of years on California regarding statehood.

Santa Anita opened in 1934. Original stockholders included Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Harry Warner (one of the founders of Warner Bros.). It’s pretty safe to say that every major California-based racehorse to hit the national scene came through Santa Anita (Seabiscuit, Silky Sullivan, John Henry, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Zenyatta, and many more). During World War II, racing at Santa Anita was shut down and the facility was used as a Japanese internment camp. Later, in 1984, the equestrian events for the 1984 Summer Olympics were held here.

These days, Santa Anita is still the flagship track of California. The important races here carry as much prestige in the racing industry as important races at other tracks do. Plus, whether you're a hard-core handicapper or a family looking to enjoy a day at the races, it’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

Superfecta of super Cal jocks: Longden, Shoemaker, Pincay, and McCarron.

Between the races: a carriage horse and the scale where the jocks weigh in…and out.

Madelyn was only too willing to practice her jockey skills at the nice playground in the infield. (They do pony rides on the big racing days too!)

This was a personal thrill: in the far reaches of the parking lot, we spotted a gate open and headed over to investigate. It turned out to be the head of the European-style, downhill turf course, a feature unique only to Santa Anita throughout American racing. The crew working on the course could not have been nicer and let us walk part of the course and check out the starting gate. I was giddy. Racing friends will understand!

Here are the girls with a memorial to the legendary George Woolf, aka “The Iceman.” He was killed in a tragic fall here at Santa Anita in 1946 when he was just 35.

Woolf was aboard California favorite Seabiscuit during the famous 1938 match race at Pimlico with Triple Crown winner War Admiral. Woolf served as a more-than-able substitute for Red Pollard while the latter was recovering from injuries. Of course, the working-class Seabiscuit beat the blue-blooded War Admiral and the rest is history.

This is the adorable John Shear, a modern-day hero. He’s worked the paddock at Santa Anita for over 50 years. Last year, when he was 90-years-young, he threw himself in front of a frightened, runaway horse to save a 6-year-old girl from being trampled. The girl was fine. The horse was fine. Shear sustained a broken pelvis, internal bleeding, and a host of other injuries. But horsemen are tough and here he is, a year later and now 91, back at work. A humble hero.

"The Bald Eagle." This is a bust of the tremendous, late trainer Charlie Whittingham and his faithful dog Toby. Among his many accolades was the distinction of being the oldest trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when he was 73. He broke his own record when he won it again three years later.

My favorite picture of the day; this one was taken by Rob. It's a perfect shot of the notoriously crotchety but amazingly tough and tenacious racehorse John Henry. With a heart as big as the sky, he is the epitome of a legend.