Starter-allowance series winner will earn stakes berths

Santa Anita will launch a four-race starter-allowance series on turf later this month designed to increase participation in long-distance turf races.

The series will include a race at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 23, at 1 1/4 miles on Feb. 20, at 1 1/2 miles on March 20, and about 1 3/4 miles on April 17. The races will be restricted to horses who have started for a claiming price of $40,000 or less since Jan. 1, 2019.

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The winner of each race will receive a fees-paid berth to the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes, a $200,000 race at 1 1/4 miles on May 29, or the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes, a $100,000 race at about 1 3/4 miles on June 19.

Each of the starter-allowance races will have a purse of $47,000. If a horse wins two divisions of the starter-allowance series, the horse would be eligible for both of the graded stakes.