Average daily handle dips at 2026 Santa Anita fall meet
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Santa Anita showed a decline in average daily handle at its autumn meeting that ended Sunday compared to the corresponding meeting in 2025, according to figures compiled by Daily Racing Form.
Handle on Santa Anita’s races was more than $124.3 million for the 19-day meeting compared to more than $109.9 million for the 16-day meeting in fall 2025.
On an average daily basis, Santa Anita handled $6,545,693 on its races this year compared to $6,870,448 in 2025, a decline of 4.7 percent.
The figures were helped by business last weekend when the track offered simulcast wagering on the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. The last two Breeders’ Cup meetings were held at Del Mar. Santa Anita last conducted simulcasting of the Breeders’ Cup in 2022, when the event also was held at Keeneland.
Tracks often show an increase in handle on their races on days when Breeders’ Cup races are conducted because of a greater overall interest in the sport.
The Santa Anita fall meeting began Sept. 25 and was run amid warm weather on the first two weekends, which can happen at that time of year in Southern California.
Average fields fell slightly, from 7.9 runners in fall 2025 to 7.6 runners this year. Del Mar’s summer meeting showed a slight decline to 8.56 runners this year from 8.67 runners in summer 2025.
On the track at Santa Anita, Juan Hernandez led all riders with 20 wins, three more than Emisael Jaramillo and four more than Kazushi Kimura and Joel Rosario, who finished in a tie for third.
Hernandez, 34, has won the riding title at the last four autumn meetings at Santa Anita.
Doug O’Neill led all trainers with 13 wins, two more than George Papaprodromou. Peter Miller and John Sadler tied for third with nine wins.
Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting begins Dec. 26. Del Mar has a fall meeting beginning Friday through Nov. 29, followed by a two-week daytime Thoroughbred meeting at Los Alamitos from Dec. 4-13.
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