Los Angeles-Area Racetracks

Jill's Journal: Some people dream of visiting every baseball stadium in the country, but for me, it’s every Thoroughbred racetrack. We’ve done a pretty good job on this extended road trip, hitting every one we’ve come even relatively close to. The tricky part is being at a track during the days or weeks or months they’re conducing live racing. We seem to hit most places in their off-season, but that’s okay. I’m happy with a glimpse. Perhaps most importantly, we’ve learned other tracks in the country – particularly in California – are not quite as welcoming during dark days or during the off-season as, say, Keeneland in Lexington. (Oh, Kentuckians have it so, so good. There’s a reason Central Kentucky is racing Mecca.)

During our time in Los Angeles and Orange County, I was so thrilled to get the chance to visit the four area tracks. Weeks after a stellar day at Santa Anita in Arcadia, we headed down to Hollywood Park in Inglewood. Rob and I had been here for live racing before, many years ago, and remembered it as a beautiful place, known as “the track of the lakes and flowers.” It has a rich racing history and was the home base of Zenyatta, so the girls were extremely excited to see it too, even though Hollywood’s racing season is long off. Our excitement came screeching to a halt when we learned at the gate Hollywood Park charges an entrance fee of $10 per person – that would make $50 for our family – even though there was only simulcasting and no live racing. I haven’t been to every track in the country, by any means, but I don’t recall having been to one that charged more than $5 on a regular live racing day and I certainly haven’t ever paid for simulcasting, much less at $10 a head. Ridiculous. I wasn’t about to pay that for a short visit, so we left, bitterly disappointed.

We swung around to the side and got a peek at the grandstand from a distance, but it wasn’t quite the same. I was able to tell the girls Zenyatta had probably walked on that horse path in the foreground, so they were still pleased. :)

What a difference we found at Fairplex Park in Pomona. Part of the Los Angeles County Fair, Fairplex is not a high-class track, but it provides a fun atmosphere with some decent racing. I didn’t expect to see much of anything at Fairplex, as we got there right at dark (it gets dark early here, or did until this blasted Daylight Savings racket this week!). There was absolutely no access to the track as it was completely fenced off, but a security guard at one of the gates saw our Kentucky plates and took mercy on us. He kindly opened the gate and told us how to get to the track.

Obviously this picture is so dark, but it was taken from the backside (the grandstand is across from us) and we could clearly see the tight turns which makes Fairplex famous as a bullring (a little track completely devoid of the wide, sweeping turns and long stretches which make Thoroughbred racing so great). I was thrilled to get this tiny peek (thank you, Fairplex security – you kick butt over Hollywood Park!).

We had one more stop to make to complete our circuit of L.A.-area tracks and we did that this weekend. Los Alamitos Race Course in…Los Alamitos. This isn’t even officially a Thoroughbred track, but a famous Quarter Horse one. They do conduct some Thoroughbred racing, although if a Thoroughbred finds his way into the starting gate at Los Al, he’s probably better off looking for another career as a hunter/jumper or a backyard pet. Most racing here is conducted at night under the lights and we saw very little of the facility. Still, it was nice to complete our superfecta of L.A.-area tracks. I can’t wait to get to San Diego and finally see Del Mar!

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.