Santa Anita raises purses for 10 stakes at fall meeting

Santa Anita has raised the purses of 10 stakes run during its autumn meeting from Sept. 26 to Nov. 2, a season that includes the Breeders’ Cup races on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

To comply with national standards for graded stakes purses, prize money for six Grade 1 races have been raised from $250,000 to $300,000 – the FrontRunner, Awesome Again, Rodeo Drive, Zenyatta, Chandelier, and Santa Anita Sprint Championship. The races are run Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 and are preps for Breeders’ Cup races.

Four Grade 2 races – the John Henry Turf Championship, City of Hope Mile, Twilight Derby, and Goldikova Stakes – have been increased from $150,000 to $200,000. The John Henry Turf Championship and City of Hope Mile are Breeders’ Cup preps; the Twilight Derby and Goldikova Stakes are run on Breeders’ Cup weekend.

The track has added a $200,000 race over 1 3/4 miles on dirt to the Oct. 31 program. The Breeders’ Cup ran the $500,000 Marathon at that distance in recent years but has discontinued the event. The yet-to-be-named Oct. 31 race will serve as a replacement for horses who were pointed to the Marathon.

The 13 Breeders’ Cup races will be spread between the Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 programs.

The autumn schedule has two other minor changes.

The conditions of the $100,000 Damascus Stakes over seven furlongs on Oct. 31 have been changed from 3-year-olds to 3-year-olds and older horses.

Two $200,000 stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 – the Golden State Juvenile Fillies and Golden State Juvenile – have been reduced in distance from a mile to seven furlongs.