Big crowd, high-level racing the marks of opening day

ARCADIA, Calif. – A day after getting up early to check under the Christmas tree, about 40,000 people will be out the front door well before noon Wednesday in Southern California.

They will be bound for Santa Anita, and the opening of its highly anticipated winter-spring meeting, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Pacific, a half-hour earlier than in past years. The track will have a 10-race program, one more than in recent seasons. There are five stakes Wednesday, including four graded stakes – the Grade 1 Malibu, Grade 1 La Brea, Grade 2 San Antonio, and Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile.

Santa Anita will operate through June 23, with the winter-spring portion of the season encompassing 61 racing days through April 7. Santa Anita will race mostly on a Thursday-Sunday basis.

Opening day is likely to attract the largest ontrack audience, with the Santa Anita Handicap program on March 9 and Santa Anita Derby card on April 6 also expected to draw large crowds.

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Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, the track’s parent company, said demand for suites, box seats, and dining room accommodation are at capacity for Wednesday.

“Those are good signs,” he said.

In a way, opening day takes care of itself from a business and sporting point of view. Customers can expect crowds and long lines, but will be treated to outstanding races. The program includes the first turf racing in Southern California since the final day of the Del Mar autumn meeting on Dec. 2. Los Alamitos, which ended its two-week autumn meeting Dec. 16, does not have a turf course.

Turf racing will play a pivotal role in the success of the winter-spring meeting. Last year, dirt races at the winter-spring meeting averaged 7.46 runners per race, while turf races averaged 9.09. Overall, the meeting averaged 8.01 runners per race.

Southern California had a relatively dry winter last year. Inclement weather could wreak havoc on turf racing.

“Turf races will make or break your meet,” Ritvo said. “We hope when it rains it’s Sunday night or Monday.”

Ritvo is hopeful the average number of runners will rise to approximately 8.5 per race.

“If we get a half a horse improvement, we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

Many faces among trainers and jockeys will be familiar to fans. Bob Baffert led all trainers with 37 wins at the 2017-18 winter-spring meeting and will compete against Richard Baltas, Phil D’Amato, Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill for that honor at this meet.

Drayden Van Dyke, Flavien Prat, Tyler Baze, and Joe Talamo are expected to contend for the riding title. Joel Rosario, who won 11 riding titles in Southern California from 2009-12, is riding on this circuit on a full-time basis this winter for the first time since summer 2012.

There have been personnel changes at Santa Anita in the last month. Frank Mirahmadi is the new track announcer, replacing Michael Wrona, whose contract was not renewed following the autumn meeting.

Farther behind the scenes, Rick Hammerle is no longer the vice president and racing secretary, and the position has not been filled on a long-term basis. Dan Eidson remains the track’s director of racing. Ritvo said Friday that an announcement on a new racing secretary is imminent.