Santa Anita, Del Mar team on $1 million Wild West Bonus

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita and Del Mar have teamed to link their three leading annual Grade 1 dirt races at 1 1/4 miles in a series that will pay a $1 million bonus to the owner of a horse that wins the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and Pacific Classic at Del Mar in the same year.

The series, known as the Wild West Bonus, begins with the $400,000 Big Cap on March 6, followed by the $300,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on May 31, and the $750,000 Pacific Classic on Aug. 21.

The Big Cap is for 4-year-olds and older, while the Gold Cup and Pacific Classic are for 3-year-olds and up.

The Pacific Classic purse has been increased from $500,000 in 2020, but has a purse less than the $1 million level from the race’s inception in 1991 to 2019.

A similar series linking the same races with a seven-figure bonus was sponsored by the MGM Casino in Las Vegas and was held for two years in 1996 and 1997 when the Hollywood Gold Cup was run at Hollywood Park. The Gold Cup has been run at Santa Anita since 2014, the year after Hollywood Park closed.

The bonus was not won in those years.

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In 1996, the three races were worth $1 million each, with a $2 million bonus available for a sweep. The following year, a sweep would have been worth $3 million. In those years, a $500,000 participation pool was available to the owners of horses that ran in all three races.

Santa Anita announced Monday that purses for overnight races on the March 6 program will be enhanced. The purse for the China Doll Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf has been increased from $75,000 to $100,000. Purses for overnight races run on that race program will be increased by $15,000, according to a statement released Monday in conjunction with the new race series.

The Big Cap is one of four graded stakes on the March 6 program.