How to horse race in place or back at the Santa Anita Park Racetrack (2024)

Horse-racing lovers are welcome once again to come to Santa Anita Park to see the thoroughbreds run, as in-person racing is back!

The track is open to fans who feel comfortable coming to the outdoor venue each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from now until June 20, 2021, when the season is completed.

The next high-stakes weekend is the prestigious Gold Cup, happening on May 31, featuring nine races that include the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely Stakes, all Grade 1 races with $300,000 purses. Tickets for live, in-person race days are available ranging from a $5 Bring-Your-Own-Seat Infield spot to $10 Grandstand seating and even $40 Loge Box Seats on Saturdays that include a Black Sugar BBQ lunch plate.

During the pandemic, beautiful Santa Anita Park, the legendary horse-racing track in Arcadia, California, was closed to spectators for most of the current season, while still running races.

Now that racing is back, with reserved seating is required and can be found at www.santaanita.com/open, with prices ranging from $5 to $40. Tickets are sold in “pods” of two, four or six people (no individual tickets are available) and they include admission, a seat, program and parking. There is no walk-up admission option and mask protocols and social distancing requirements will be in effect. All transactions are contactless, from admission to wagering to food and beverage. Wagering happens via the mobile app 1/ST BET, not at the traditional betting windows.

All the race days at Santa Anita Park as the season continues will still be live streamed free on santaanita.com/santa-anita-live-stream for those who prefer the safety of watching from home. Racing in place from home can be a fun day, too, so here are some ways to make racing in place at home into a five-star, #derbyathome event.

Going off to the virtual races isn’t quite like being there, but we’re pretty sure that spending a rollicking afternoon inside your pandemic pod – and beyond, with the help of Zoom – is bound to lift everyone’s spirits. And it just might put a few extra bucks in your coffers, too, if you place your bets on the right filly or gelding.

How to Race in Place

Let’s plan our race in place at lovely Santa Anita Park, celebrating the Hollywood Gold Cup and beyond.

That premier American venue also known as The Great Race Place has been running thrilling races from 1934 right up to today, and the thoroughbreds have kept on racing, despite the empty grandstand and infield. Nothing has stopped their heralded racing tradition that continues every Friday through Sunday, with nine races going off from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. each day at the SAP racetrack until June 20.

With thrillers coming up likeHollywood Gold Cup Day ($300,000) on May 31, which marks the finale of the big four-day Memorial Day racing weekend, there’s still plenty of high-stakes excitement to see. On big race days, races go off a little earlier, beginning at noon.

Experiencing Santa Anita Park race days at home begins with two things: setting up to watch the live streaming of each race and downloading the 1/ST BET app onto your iPhone or Android mobile phone. With just those two simple elements, you’re ready to race in place.

Live streaming is accessible from your mobile device or your computer, via the Santa Anita Park live stream link. Choose the device that allows you to cast the video stream onto your big-screen television and you’ll be right in the heart of the real-time scene, along with everyone who lives in your household. Be sure to set up and test your connections before the first race bell chimes so you don’t miss a minute of the action.

To help place bets at home, SAP partners with the 1/ST BET app to allow early and same-day betting. 1/ST BET allows you to bet on races at a number of different tracks across the country, too. You’ll need to be over 18 years-of-age in California (check your state’s rules, as some require you to be 21) to download the free app, register for an account and deposit money in that account to be ready to bet before the bell rings. Handicapping experts are on hand via the app to help you choose your favorite thoroughbred; you’ll also find Jeff Siegel’s choices and other experts’ predictions on the SAP website.

Betting at #SAP via 1/ST BET follows regular track betting. As with every racing bet you make via the app (as well as when you are actually able to be back at the track again), be sure to:

1. Begin with the name of the racetrack
2. Choose the race number you want to bet
3. Add the dollar amount you wish to bet
4. State the type of wager you want to make (see below)
5. State the number of the horse(s) you want to bet on
6. Doublecheck all of the above before you place the bet

There are many ways to bet on a given horse race, with popular choices being Win (your horse must win the race); Place (your horse must finish first or second); and Show (your horse must finish first, second or third). More complicated (and harder to win) are what are known as “exotic” wagers: Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6. For more information on how to make those exotic bets and what your chances are of winning with each one, click here.

Now that you’re ready to play, pick Hollywood Gold Cup or another favorite race-day experience from the track’s racing calendar and get ready to have some fun racing in place.

A Party Day at the Races – at Home

If you are not meeting your horse-racing friends this season at the track, why not make a party of the day anyway? Start with planning a Zoom event for all of your favorite racing aficionados, especially on one of the big #SantaAnitaPark high-stakes days (like the Hollywood Gold Cup Day), and make plans to create more than a simple shared viewing event.

We believe that every race day should include wonderful hats, the beloved fashion tradition of racetracks around the globe. So why not plan a hat competition as part of your race-day celebration, just like Santa Anita Park always does when the Breeders’ Cup competition comes to that track (as it has many times)? A hat fashion show via Zoom is sure to bring lots of laughs and give the winner bragging rights for the next race day party. Fancy dress (get out of those yoga pants!) can be another fun element for your at-a-distance bash, or how about going all in with an imagination-filled, racing-themed Zoom costume party?

Get food inspiration for your at-home day at the races from Santa Anita’s currently closed fine restaurants, Frontrunner and Turf Terrace. Their menus include easy-to-prepare dishes like Charcuterie and Creamery (a cured-meat-and-cheese platter), Grilled Pear Salad, Bay Scallop Ceviche, and – if you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen – Apple Cider Brined Pork Chop. Check their menus for other ideas of dishes with varying culinary skill levels required.

Add in a specialty co*cktail or two as a quick way to get your party rolling. Concoct your own (and give it a racing-inspired name) or try this classic quaff from Pasadena’s near-the-track watering hole The Raymond 1886 restaurant and bar. It’s sure to help you rev up as your horse makes a run for the roses. Head Barman Jesus Gomez suggests concocting this “Fancy Free” delight:

Ingredients:

• Four Roses Bourbon (or anything 100 proof)
• Maraska Maraschino Liqueur
• Angostura bitters
• Orange bitters

Recipe:

• 2 oz x Four Roses Bourbon (100 proof works best)
• 2 bar spoons x Maraska Maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes x Angostura bitters
• 1 dash x Orange bitters

1. Build and stir using a chilled Old-Fashioned glass
2. Add a large single block of ice and stir about 16-20 times.
3. If a large block of ice is not available, small ice works too; in that case, stir about10-12 times.
4. Garnish with fresh orange peel
5. Express the sweet oils from your orange and rub the peel around the rim of your glass so you smell it from any angle you sip your co*cktail

Share Your Horseplay

Making the day a memorable event beyond the horse race means more to fill your Instagram feed, too, so shoot some selfies, take some screenshots and wake up your following to the fun. Use hashtags like #raceathome, #jockey, and #horseracing, or try out #offtothevirtualraces and #horseraceinplace. If you’re playing along and betting on the big days upcoming, try using #hollywoodgoldcupday.

Grab some professional photos from the @SantaAnitaPark Insta, they are free to download and use again, just tag #SantaAnitaPark, #HollywoodGoldCup, or #TheGreatRacePlace when you do. Follow @santaanitapark to see those beautiful racing photos, from both the past and present. And Santa Anita Park posts images after every race, of your (hopefully) winning steed, as well as of jockeys, owners and the racecourse itself.

Join the thoroughbred conversation on Twitter, too, and hashtag your favorite pics of your race-day virtual setups, kooky hats, fabulous fashions, memories of days enjoyed in the past at the track or of your newest favorite thoroughbred who brought you home a payday.

And just think, later on, looking back on all those posts will remind you of the thrills and chills that the Sport of Kings brought right into your home, adding some joy and laughter during these crazy, unprecedented pandemic days.

Big Cap Day 2021

Santa Anita Derby Day 2021

Originally Published: March 1, 2021 at 8:41 a.m.