Santa Anita Park’s 2022-23 Winter/Spring Meet offers 93 stakes races — 58 graded and 10 of those Grade 1s — during what is one of the longest racing meets of the year. Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring Meet runs Dec. 26-June 19.
“We feel there is something for everyone in this stakes schedule and we are excited to offer it,†Santa Anida Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Merz told Santa Anita’s Mike Willman. “We worked diligently with trainers and other industry stakeholders to create a program that suits out horse population and carters to the needs of our owners and horsemen.â€
The Southern California track located 20 miles outside Los Angeles on the base of the San Gabriel Mountains opens on its traditional Dec. 26 date with three of those Grade 1s. Those are the Malibu, the La Brea and the American Oaks.
That Monday, December 26 card headlines one of the biggest days on the crowded Southern California sports calendar. Along with those three Grade 1s, horseplayers get three Grade 2s: the Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds, the 1 1/16-mile San Antonio and the 1 1/8-mile-on-turf San Gabriel. The latter two are for older horses and often feature some of the West Coast’s top older runners.
Santa Anita Big ‘Cap sets the older horse table
Santa Anita resumes its Grade 1s Saturday, March 4 with one of the most storied older horse races in the country: the Santa Anita Handicap. The race won by the likes of Seabiscuit, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, John Henry and Lava Man headlines offerings that include the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile and the Grade 2 San Felipe. That is one of the most important Kentucky Derby preps in the country.
The Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares runs the following Saturday: March 11. The race is named after the four-time champion and three-time Breeders’ Cup winner who is going into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame this year.
The Santa Anita Derby, one of four Grade 1 Derby preps, is Saturday April 8. That race claims 19 Kentucky Derby winners. Four other stakes are on the undercard, including the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham and the Grade 2 Monrovia.
Santa Anita Park-2022-23 Key Stakes
| Race | Grade | Distance | Eligible Horses | |
| Dec. 26 | Malibu Stakes | I | 7 furlongs | 3-year-olds |
| Dec. 26 | La Brea Stakes | I | 7 furlongs | 3-year-old fillies |
| Dec. 26 | American Oaks | I | 1 1/4 miles (turf) | 3-year-old fillies |
| March 4 | Santa Anita Handicap | I | 1 1/4 miles | 4-year-olds and up |
| March 4 | Frank E. Kilroe Mile | I | 1 mile (turf) | 4-year-olds and up |
| March 4 | San Felipe Stakes | II | 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-olds |
| March 11 | Beholder Mile | I | 1 mile | 3-year-olds and up, fillies & mares |
| April 8 | Santa Anita Derby | I | 1 1/8 miles | 3-year-olds |
| May 29 | Shoemaker Mile | I | 1 mile (turf) | 3-year-olds and up |
| May 29 | Hollywood Gold Cup | I | 1 1/4 miles | 3-year-olds and up |
| May 29 | Gamely Stakes | I | 1 1/8 miles (turf) | 3-year-olds and up, fillies & mares |
Santa Anita’s Grade 1 season wraps up with a trio of Memorial Day races: the Hollywood Gold Cup, Shoemaker Mile on the turf and the Gamely.
The season ends June 19. You can find the complete list of Santa Anita’s stakes races here.