Looking Forward to the Santa Anita Park 2011 – 2012 Race Meet
On Sunday, December 26th the “Great Race Place” – Santa Anita Park will open to the public for their annual winter meet that will run till April 22nd. This year’s season will feature no less than 47 stakes races with 40 of them being graded. A total of 9 Grade 1 races will be run including the Malibu stakes for 3-year-olds to be run on the opening day card.
As far as wagering is concerned there will be plenty of opportunities to make money at Santa Anita. Smart players will be wise to focus in on the Win, Place, and Show pools with a low takeout of 15.43% and the new 50-cent Players’ Pick 5 bet featuring a 14% takeout. When the new Pick 5 bet was introduced for the 2011 autumn meet initial feedback was very positive and it even led to an increase in all-sources handle for Santa Anita. This bet will be offered each day for the first five races on the card.
Opening day at Santa Anita features four stakes races led by the Grade 1 Malibu for 3-year-olds and the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort for turf milers. While the official entries aren’t yet in for these races word is the one to watch out for in the Malibu is Centralinteligence trained by Ron Ellis. While this will be his first stakes appearance Centralinteligence looked great winning an allowance by 3 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita on Sept. 30. Comma to the Top is a possibility for both the Sir Beaufort and the Malibu – as a proven factor on both the dirt and turf he could be dangerous in either spot. Earlier in the year Comma to the Top was nipped at the wire in the Santa Anita Derby by Midnight Interlude and will be the class of the race no matter which he chooses to run in.
Santa Anita Opening Day Stakes Schedule
| Date | Race | Grade | Purse | Conditions |
| Dec. 26 | Malibu | 1 | 300,000 | 3YO, 7F |
| Dec. 26 | Sir Beaufort | 2 | 150,000 | 3YO, 1M (T) |
| Dec. 26 | California Breeders Champion | 100,000 | 2YO (CAL), 7F | |
| Dec. 26 | California Breeders Champion (Fillies) | 100,000 | F2YO (CAL), 7F |
Local fans based in Southern California can now watch each day’s racing action on local over the air digital and satellite TV on Channel 31 KVMD out of Los Angeles. This expanded racing coverage is part of an agreement with HRTV to offer racing fans in California grater access to live racing on TV and a great way to enjoy the races when you can’t make it to the track.
Winning Ponies will have each and every race at Santa Anita covered. You can use our selections on any single race or to bet into the big money opportunities like the Pick-6 that we correctly predicted on March 11, 2011 paying $100,085
Want to see what some of the nation’s top jocks and trainers are looking forward to at Santa Anita in 2012? Check out the video below…