ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita had its largest ontrack crowd since April, and second highest of the year, when 21,812 attended Saturday’s California Crown program. The day featured enhanced purses for three major stakes, financed by the track’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, as well as several musical acts and food promotions. The Grade 1 California Crown Stakes was worth $1 million, an increase of $700,000 from 2023, when the race was known as the Awesome Again Stakes. The purses of two Grade 2 turf stakes were increased from $200,000 in recent years to $750,000 – the John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles and the Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. The only day this year with a larger ontrack crowd occurred on April 6, when 32,089 attended the Santa Anita Derby program. The opening day of the 2023-2024 winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26 had an ontrack crowd of 37,143. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. The 10-race California Crown program was strongly received by bettors. The all-sources handle was $17,907,293, considerably higher than the $13.95 million on the corresponding day in 2022 and $12.61 million last year. In addition, the final four races on Saturday, all stakes, were simulcast through separate pool wagering to Hong Kong, where it was early Sunday morning. Handle on those races reached $5.53 million, track officials said. This was the first time simulcasting was held in Hong Kong on the Awesome Again or California Crown program. Saturday’s crowd was considerably higher than the ontrack audience of 12,109 in 2022 and 10,133 last year on the corresponding days, according to figures released to the media on those days. For Saturday, the track boosted prices for clubhouse tables, box seats and general admission from everyday levels although those costs were reduced as the event drew closer in an effort to improve sales. General admission, for example, was $25, compared to $10 on most days. The track offered specialty food options on the grandstand apron, while box seat and clubhouse customers had expansive food and drink options catered to those seating areas. Santa Anita conducted extensive advertising, particularly through online markets, in an effort to build Saturday’s audience. The track devoted considerably more promotional resources into the California Crown program than most major racing days. The crowd skewed younger than a typical Saturday audience. Aidan Butler, president of 1/ST Racing, said on Sunday that company officials plan to review Saturday’s event and consider changes for 2025. He said one option is to develop a “middle-tier” pricing option for customers who are seeking more than grandstand admission but do not want to spend extensively for box seats or clubhouse accommodation. Butler defended the $25 general admission price. “It’s not expensive for a big sporting event,” Butler said. Santa Anita and 1/ST Racing hope to build the California Crown program into an autumn version of the Pegasus World Cup program at Gulfstream Park on the final Saturday of January. The 13-race Pegasus World Cup had a handle of $47.06 million, according to Daily Racing Form statistics. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.