Santa Anita Classic Meet Sees Strong Gains in Attendance and Handle

Santa Anita Park's Classic Meet delivered one of its strongest attendance performances in years, with the March 7 Santa Anita Handicap drawing 19,122 fans to the Arcadia, California oval, the largest Big 'Cap crowd since 2019. The 11-race card generated nearly $15 million in total handle, with on-track handle climbing more than 11% over the previous edition of the race.

The following Sunday pushed the weekend's combined crowd to nearly 27,000, capping a two-day stretch that encapsulated the meet's broader momentum. Through the weekend ending March 8, on-track attendance had climbed more than 11% from the prior season, with the track hosting more than 230,000 visitors. On-track handle grew more than 2% from last year, a figure the track emphasized carries particular weight because it retains a larger share of dollars wagered at Santa Anita to support purses and the overall racing product. The average handle per race also improved year over year.

The meet's strong footing traced back to its opening weekend, when rain delayed the traditional Dec. 26 start by 48 hours. When the gates finally opened Dec. 28, 41,962 fans arrived to begin the track's 91st year, the largest Sunday opening day crowd since 1999.

Santa Anita Derby Day added another highlight to the season. All-sources handle on the day totaled $22,388,003, while wagering on the Santa Anita card alone rose nearly 24% from 2024. On-track attendance reached 34,312, a 7% jump, boosted in part by participants from the Derby Day 5K race who stayed on for the racing card. It was the largest in-person turnout for Santa Anita Derby Day since 2018.

The full picture came into focus when the six-month Winter/Spring meeting, encompassing both the Classic Meet through April 6 and the Hollywood Meet through June 15, wrapped with combined all-sources handle of $745.9 million. Total handle on Santa Anita races alone increased 10% from the previous year, and cumulative on-track attendance across the full Winter/Spring meeting reached 541,592, ahead by 4%.

Over 6,800 horses raced during the meeting, with more than 375,000 training sessions logged on the main and synthetic tracks. Track officials reported a safety mark of 99.98%.

Bill Nader, President of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, credited structural changes for the gains. "We have witnessed increases in every key category, including 70 additional races and improvements in field sizes, which could only happen through the move to a single circuit," Nader said. "This has helped drive handle increases and reverse the downward trend in overnight purses to restore our foundation and bring renewed life to California racing. We will now carry this momentum into the second half of the year as racing moves to Los Alamitos and then the much anticipated Del Mar summer."

The season unfolded against a difficult backdrop. A track release acknowledged the weight of the year: "Between the Eaton fire and the ongoing recovery, 2025 has been a challenging year for our neighbors and many of our own Santa Anita family, but we hope 'The Great Race Place' has provided some sense of continuity."

With the numbers trending upward across attendance, handle, field size, and safety, California racing heads into Del Mar carrying the strongest momentum it has shown in several years.