Betting handle, field size down slightly at Santa Anita spring meet

Handle on races run at Santa Anita’s spring meeting fell 3.6 percent compared to the corresponding meeting in 2025, according to figures compiled by Daily Racing Form.

The 31-day season ended on Monday. The track ran 29 days in the spring of 2025.

Handle was more than $231.1 million compared to $239.6 million in 2025. Average field size fell slightly from 7.38 runners in 2025 to 7.34 runners this year.

The final week of this year’s season was disrupted by a program partially lost due to power-related issues. Santa Anita completed five of nine races on June 11 before the remaining four races were canceled because of a power outage. The track added an eight-race program on Monday as a makeup day.

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In late April, Santa Anita added a makeup day to the spring meeting on a Thursday to compensate for a program canceled earlier in the year because of rain.

On the track this spring, Antonio Fresu led all riders with 33 wins, two more than Armando Ayuso. Phil D’Amato led trainers with 22 wins, eight more than John Sadler. Among owners, Paul and Zillah Reddam led the standings with seven wins.

Santa Anita resumes racing on Sept. 25 with a six-week autumn meeting through Nov. 1.

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