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CALLING ALL EXTRAS, CALLING ALL EXTRAS!! ‘LUCK’ To hold open casting call - ARCADIA, CA - Feb. 9, 2012 - HBO’s LUCK, which was recently picked up for a second season by the cable network, is seeking all types of every day race track characters and employees and is encouraging them to participate in an open casting call at Santa Anita on Sunday, Feb. 12.

FORMER LEADING RIDER EFRAIN GARZA PASSES AWAY - CYPRESS, CA - Feb. 9, 2012 - Former Los Alamitos leading Quarter Horse Efrain Garza passed away at the age of 84 on Sunday, February 5. One of the first Hispanic jockeys to ride at Los Alamitos, Garza won four riding titles at the Orange County track in the 1950s starting with his first title in the spring of 1956. He also picked up titles in the spring of 1958 and spring and fall of 1959. Garza won 86 Quarter Horse races including six stakes victories at Los Alamitos.

Del Mar seeks to host Breeders' Cup - Craig Dado, DMTC’s vice president of marketing, confirmed that Del Mar was asked to complete and submit a “declaration of interest” by Feb. 1 if it wishes to host a future Breeders’ Cup. The event is set for Santa Anita this year in November, but future sites have not been picked. Dado said the earliest Del Mar could host the Breeders’ Cup would be 2015, but that’s providing a number of hurdles are cleared.

Arabian trainer Russ Ragain passes away - CYPRESS, CA - Feb. 4, 2012 - Russ Ragain, the 11th all-time leading Arabian racehorse trainer at Los Alamitos, passed away on Saturday morning following complications from a massive heart attack he suffered on Sunday, January 29. A resident of Los Alamitos, Ragain was 55-years-old. He had been hospitalized at La Palma Community Hospital near his hometown.

Average up at Barretts - Jan. 25, 2012 - Barretts sold 162 for $982,500, an average of $6,065.That average rose 14.2% from last year, when 256 grossed $1,359,400 and averaged $5,310. A total of 81 did not sell for a buy-back rate of 33%.

Golden Gate Will Not Become Educational Site - Jan. 23, 2012 - Golden Gate Fields has been passed over for selection as the preferred site for a second campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the Bay Area. The University of California announced in a press release Jan. 23 that it has selected the UC-owned Richmond Field Station as its preferred site for the proposed consolidation of its bio-sciences programs of the Berkeley Lab.

Santa Anita, Gulfstream team-up for $250,000 guaranteed 'Luck' Pick Six - ARCADIA, CA - Jan. 22, 2012 - Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park will celebrate the HBO series LUCK with a special Pick Six wager on Sunshine Millions Day, Saturday, Jan. 28. The one dollar minimum wager will have a guaranteed pool of $250,000 and will feature three races from Santa Anita and three from Gulfstream Park. HBO’s LUCK, the highly anticipated racetrack-themed series based at Santa Anita and starring Dustin Hoffman will premier the following night, Jan. 29.

Stronach Says He Wants to Protect Santa Anita - Jan. 20, 2012 - The California Horse Racing Board received a surprise visit from Santa Anita owner Frank Stronach during its meeting Jan. 19 at the racetrack. Stronach told the board he wants to see Santa Anita protected against real estate speculation in the future.

Kotulak to full in at Los Alamitos - CYPRESS, CA - Jan. 19, 2012 - Chris Kotulak will call the racing action at Los Alamitos Race Course during the next two weeks of the meet in place of Ed Burgart, who is enjoying a well deserved vacation. A talented television host and racing analyst, Kotulak says race calling was his first love. "I'd buy a ticket for the grandstand (at Ak-Sar-Ben) and sit there and call the races into a small, beat-up tape recorder," he said, "and then I'd send what I considered my best calls to tracks in the area."

Good Reason SA Tops PCQHRA Awards - Cypress, CA - Jan. 15, 2012 - Champion of Champions (G1) winner Good Reason SA was named the 2011 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Horse of the Year while Abigail Kawananakoa was honored with the prestigious Frank Vessels Sr. Memorial Award in appreciation of her outstanding contributions to the sport of Quarter Horse Racing during the PCQHRA Awards Banquet held on Thursday evening in the Finish Line Room at Los Alamitos Race Course.

LOS ALAMITOS RTCA SILENT AUCTION RAISES OVER $30,000 - CYPRESS, CA - Jan. 14, 2012 - The Los Alamitos division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America raised $30,355 during its auction held in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association’s Awards Banquet. The event is the Los Alamitos RTCA chapter's biggest fundraiser of the year and the money goes towards promoting annual fellowship and Christian programs for the backside and frontside employees at Los Alamitos.

Services today for trainer Lewis Cenicola - ARCADIA, CA - Jan. 11, 2012 - Trainer Lewis Cenicola, who was a former jockey and who served as the legendary John Henry’s regular exercise rider while he was trained by Hall of Famer Ron McAnally, succumbed after a long bout with cancer on Jan. 8, at the age of 66. One of the most well-liked figures in California racing, Cenicola is survived by his wife Donna.

LLOYD ARNOLD, FORMER LOS ALAMITOS OWNER, PASSES AWAY, A celebration of his life will take place Thursday - Jan. 11, 2012 - Lloyd Arnold, 83, a longtime Standardbred owner and former co-owner of Los Alamitos Race Course, died Sunday in La Quinta. He had cancer.

Star of Spielberg's New Film Discovered at Los Alamitos - Cypress, CA - Jan. 5, 2011 - Like so many leading men who appear larger than life on the big screen, the star of Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” is, disappointingly, much shorter in person. The horse responsible for the lion’s share of Joey’s specialty work — rearing on command, running in an open field to a designated spot, lying motionless while ensnared in barbed wire (which is actually plastic) — is Finder’s Key, a sporty, 12-year-old California-bred gelding whose impeccably bred sire, Lindsey’s Roberto, ran 12 times but never won a race.

SANTA ANITA WINTER/SPRING MEET OFF TO FAST START, GREAT RACE PLACE POSTS ACROSS THE BOARD GAINS - ARCADIA, CA - Jan. 5, 2012 - Santa Anita Park, which opened its winter/spring meeting with an on-track crowd of 44,579 on Dec. 26, posted significant across the board gains through the first six days of its 79-day meet according to racetrack officials. Through six days, on-track attendance is up 21 percent, while on-track handle is up 11 percent.

Changes to Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap format - CYPRESS, CA - Jan. 2, 2012 - The 6th running of the $40,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap will be held on Friday, October 5 honoring the great Quarter Horse racing tradition of the Northwest and Intermountain regions.

Northern CA Trainer Jenda retires - Dec. 31, 2011 - Chuck Jenda, who conditioned Northern California’s first Eclipse Award winner, Brown Bess, has retired from training after a successful 36-year career.

Golden Gate Fields Realized Double Digit Increases In On-Track Averages At 2011 Fall Meeting - Berkeley, CA - Dec. 22, 2011 - Golden Gate Fields realized double-digit increases in both its average daily on-track handle and average daily on-track attendance during its 2011 fall meeting, a 36-day session that ran from Oct. 20 through Dec. 18.

HRTV REACHES AGREEMENT WITH KVMD FOR CARRIAGE OF UPCOMING SANTA ANITA WINTER MEET - Arcadia, CA, Dec. 15, 2011 - HRTV (R) has reached an agreement with independent broadcaster KVMD (Los Angeles), which will give Southern California racing fans television access to the upcoming Santa Anita winter/spring race meeting. The 75th anniversary of Santa Anita’s winter/spring meeting, one of Thoroughbred racing's most anticipated meetings annually, opens the day after Christmas, and will continue through Sunday, April 22.

Early Christmas – by Tom Dawson for SureBet - On Saturday, Dec. 10, we get a peek at Quarter Horse racing’s annual pre-Christmas gift, the Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos. The magnitude of the race is such that the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity -- as in $2.2 million purse -- serves as the Friday night warm up.

Betfair Set for California Horse Racing - Dec. 6, 2011 - California horse betting will be getting a major face lift in May 2012 when exchange betting is introduced. The system will be implemented by UK sports book Betfair, the company that pioneered exchange betting concepts.

What is Exchange Betting? Exchange betting is operates more like stock exchanges and futures markets than traditional sportsbooks. Bettors can bet for, or against, a specific horse at any time during the race using ever-changing real-time odds. read more

SO CAL EDISON CREWS, EMERGENCY OPS CENTER FOR DAMAGE REPAIR IS BASED AT SANTA ANITA - ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 3, 2011)—In response to unprecedented wind-related damage and power outages in the San Gabriel Valley, Southern California Edison has constructed an Emergency Operations Center in Santa Anita’s south parking lot consisting of emergency vehicles, equipment, RVs, tents and 44 emergency relief crews.

G1 Winner One Sweet Jess to Burns Ranch in 2012 - MENIFEE, CA—NOVEMBER 20, 2011—Golden State Million Futurity(G1) winner One Sweet Jess will stand the 2012 season at Burns Ranch near Menifee, California. His fee has been set at $5,000.

Track Record Holder Divide The Cash to Burns Ranch in 2012 - MENIFEE, CA—NOVEMBER 20, 2011—Burns Ranch has announced Abigail Kawananakoa’s Divide The Cash will begin his stallion career in 2012 at their Menifee, California establishment following his racing career.

SANTA ANITA STAKES SCHEDULE FINALIZED, NINE GRADE I RACES OFFERED, LED BY MALIBU ON DEC. 26 - ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 19, 2011)—Led by the Grade I, $300,000 Malibu Stakes on opening day, Dec. 26, Santa Anita Park has announced its 2011-12 stakes schedule which will include nine Grade I events over the course of its 79-day meet which will conclude April 22.

Baby's Birth a Real Photo Finish at Golden Gate Fields - Berkeley, Ca - Nov 19, 2011 - On Thursday, between the 2nd and 3rd races at Golden Gate Fields race track, an assistant veterinarian went into labor in the bathroom of a horse barn. Forget about ambulances or mad dashes to the hospital – by the time she knew what was happening, the baby was already heading toward the finish line.

Del Mar Adds $1.37-Million in Purses to Record 2011 Meet - Del Mar, CA - Nov. 19, 2011 - A good Del Mar summer meeting got even better for its horsemen this week as the track sent out checks totaling $1,370,000 that represented a retroactive payment of 10% on overnight purses by Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The sum is a record payment of its kind for the track.

CHRB Defers ADW Licenses Over Guild Insurance - Nov. 18, 2011 - The decision by Churchill Downs Inc. to drop a longstanding insurance agreement with the Jockeys' Guild could have ramifications in California for the company's advance deposit wagering firm TwinSpires.com.

COMPLIMENTARY HOLIDAY MEAL OFFERED

INGLEWOOD, CA - Nov. 17, 2011 - Tickets will be distributed Thanksgiving morning (Thursday, November 24) by the Hollywood Park stable office staff to licensed horsemen and their families for a complimentary holiday meal in the track kitchen.

Families must be present with the California Horse Racing Board license holder to receive tickets. The license must have a current validation sticker before tickets will be provided at the kitchen to the stable area workers on the list for both themselves and their family.

The meal will begin at 10 a.m and continue until 3p.m. Post time Thanksgiving Day is 11 a.m.

Agreement Reached Between California Groups - Nov. 17, 2011 - A bitter dispute between two Thoroughbred owners’ groups in California has apparently come to an end after the organizations reached an agreement with the California Horse Racing Board.

Santa Anita to host its own Sunshine Millions day - Nov. 17, 2011 - Santa Anita Park, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA), and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) will host a newly structured $1-million Sunshine Millions day program on January 28.

Bay Area's premiere track could be just a memory - ALBANY, CA - Nov. 16, 2011 - After 70 years of hosting the likes of triple-crown winner Citation, Lost In the Fog, Silky Sullivan and other racing luminaries, the Bay Area's premiere horse track could be headed for its final stretch.

Charlton and Guce off to HOT November starts at Los Al - CYPRESS, CA - Nov. 14, 2011 - Jockeys Cheryl Charlton and Ramon Guce made the biggest headlines the past weekend at Los Alamitos Race Course. Charlton continued her winning ways during the month of November, as she picked up wins like the one aboard Warren’s Hearthrob in the trials to the Gold Rush Derby and aboard Ahh Lover in the gelding’s eight-length victory in the first race on Sunday.

Greely out at Golden Gate Fields - Berkeley, CA - Nov. 13, 2011 - In a move that new Golden Gate Fields general manager Joe Morris said was based solely on economics, Sean Greely has been replaced as racing secretary by his assistant and stakes coordinator David Jerkens.

AUTUMN MEET COMMENCES THURSDAY, NOV. 10; OVERNIGHT PURSES UP SIGNIFICANTLY - INGLEWOOD, Calif. (November 7, 2011)— The Autumn meet at Hollywood Park, which begins with an eight race program Thursday, Nov. 10, will see an increase of approximately 25% in overnight purses from the 2010 season.

L.A. mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa says Breeders' Cup should be at Santa Anita every other year - Louisville, KY.— Nov. 7, 2011 - On a sparkling Kentucky fall afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stood in a Breeders' Cup winner's circle in the shrine of horse racing and didn't pause to proclaim that his metropolis can do better by staging the event routinely at Santa Anita.

Norma Stone, wife of equine artist Fred Stone, dies - Nov. 2, 2011 - Norma Stone, wife of leading American equine artist Fred Stone, died October 22 in Agoura Hills, California. A part of her husband's art business and philanthropy for 35 years, she was 80 and had been in declining health for several years.

Favorite Cartel to Burns Ranch in 2012 - Grade 1 winner to Burns Ranch upon retirement - Nov. 1, 2011 - Grade 1 winner Favorite Cartel will enter stud at Burns Ranch near Menifee, California, in 2012 following his retirement from racing. He won the $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course on October 29, earning an invitation to the $750,000 Champion of Champions(G1) in December.

Prominent owner Mace Siegel dies - Oct. 27, 2011 - Mace Siegel, one half of Thoroughbred owners Jay Em Ess Stables with his daughter, Samantha, died on Wednesday. Mace Siegel was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and also served as the group’s vice president.

Trust is the issue - Oct. 21, 2011 - As the Thoroughbred Owners of California and California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association search for common ground in their ongoing skirmish, a leading member of one of the organizations is tired of what he claims are misrepresentations on the part of the TOC.

Golden Gate Fields season opens amid uncertainty - Oct. 20, 2011 - Golden Gate Fields opens its fall season today with a new general manager and a decision due next month that could determine its future as a racetrack. Joe Morris - named interim GM by Stronach Group, which owns the track - brings a long history of involvement in horse racing to the GM position vacated after six years by Robert Hartman, whose background was in sports management.

Noble Court to Magali Farms in California - Oct. 20, 2011 - California grade II winner Noble Court will enter stud in 2012 at Rich and Gaby Sulpizio’s Magali Farms near Santa Ynez, Calif. Noble Court, a 7-year-old, will stand for Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs. A fee will be announced later.

Giacomo to stand in California - Oct. 18, 2011 - Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs Farm announced today that 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo will relocate to Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, California beginning with the 2012 breeding season.

Rocky Bar to E.A. Ranches in California - Oct. 14, 2011 - Rocky Bar, a stakes-winning son of In Excess, will stand the 2012 breeding season at E.A. Ranches near Santa Ysabel, Calif. His fee is $2,500.

No Clenbuterol at Los Alamitos - Oct. 13, 2011 - The bronchial dilator clenbuterol will be banned for use in Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos effective Friday, October 14, 2011 - following a rash of positives earlier this year according to the Daily Racing Form.

The decision to ban the medication was announced by the California Horse Racing Board during the summer. Rick Arthur, the racing board’s equine medical director, said there have been eight positives this year for an illegal form of clenbuterol believed to be imported from Mexico. That clenbuterol differs from the type approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in horses, which now will also be banned in California.

Barretts October posts double-digit gains - Pomona, CA - Oct. 13, 2011 - The two-day Barretts Equine Ltd. October yearling sale concluded Wednesday with gains in total sales, average price, and median at Fairplex Park in Pomona, California. Two colts sold for $100,000 on Tuesday night to top the October yearling sale and helped lead increases in total sales, average price, and median for the opening session.

Barretts Yearling Sale Off to Strong Start - Oct. 12, 2011 - Led by two colts who each brought $100,000, the first session of the Barretts October Yearling Sale rose 47.15% in average, to $27,145. The 55 head sold at the Oct. 11 session grossed $1,493,000, up 42% from last year’s gross of $1,051,500, when 57 sold.

Lloyd optimistic about market place, Barretts October sale - Oct. 11, 2011 - Kim Lloyd, vice president of sales for Barretts Equine Ltd., expects a strong 2011 October yearling sale for two main reasons—a high-quality catalog and a nice showing from previous yearling sales this summer and fall.

Santa Anita Park offers Alternative website aims at younger fans - ARCADIA, CA - Oct. 10, 2011—Santa Anita Park has announced that it has launched an alternate website, www.santaanitalive.com, in an effort to reach a broader, younger audience by offering a wide array of content, much of which is not horseracing-specific...

CHRB Approves 2012 Race Calendar - Oct. 7, 2011 - A 2012 race dates calendar was approved by the California Horse Racing Board Oct. 6, with only minor changes from its 2011 version. The board approved the calendar by time blocs and will allocate the specific number of dates per meet at the time racing associations make their license applications.

“Race For The Rescues” - Oct. 6, 2011 - After the Finish is one of 9 non-profit dog, cat and horse rescue organizations participating in the 6th Annual Race for the Rescues, hosted by The Rescue Train.

Santa Anita restructures business operations - Arcadia, CA. - Oct. 6, 2011 - Several management and operations responsibilities at Santa Anita Park are being reorganized as part of an ongoing restructuring of management of the facility to gain operational efficiencies and to help position the landmark horse racing facility for future growth, track officials announced.

Santa Anita earns bragging rights Saturday in east/west rivalry - Oct. 4, 2011 - It was billed as “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day” at Santa Anita and “Super Saturday” at Belmont. On opposite coasts, racing fans were bombarded Saturday, Oct. 1 by an astounding array of top class racing. There were a combined total of ten Grade 1 events serving as prep races to determine which elite runners would head to the Breeders’ Cup World Championship on Nov. 4 and 5 at Churchill Downs.

Walk Thru Fire Colt Tops Los Al Sale - Two-day sale gross tops $5.8 million - Cypress, CA - Oct. 3, 2011 - The Los Alamitos Equine Sale ended its two-day run on Sunday afternoon with increases across the board. The sale saw 340 of the 376 head offered find new homes for a $5,809,600 gross and $17,087 average.

OPENING YEARLING SESSION OF EQUINE SALE SHOWS 24.3% INCREASE - CYPRESS, CA - Oct. 2, 2011 - The opening session of the two-day Los Alamitos Equine Sale on Saturday afternoon enjoyed a 24.3% increase on the average price of yearlings sold over last year’s first day. The average price for the 141 yearlings purchased on Saturday was $16,309 – up from last year’s opening day yearling average of $13,121.

Sierra Sunset to Stand at Rancho San Miguel - Oct. 1, 2011 - Grade II winner Sierra Sunset will stand his first year at stud in 2012 at Tom and Nancy Clark’s Rancho San Miguel near San Miguel, Calif. A fee will be announced later.

TRAINER DARRELL FREY PASSES AWAY - CYPRESS, CA - Sept. 28, 2011 - Darrell Frey, who trained Meadow Creek Ranch’s Ettago Chickie to the title of champion2-year-old filly in 1980, passed away at the age of 78 in Salem, Oregon on Friday.

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