Santa Anita Site of 1993 Breeders’ Cup

California, which hasn’t played host to the Breeders’ Cup since 1987, will hold the seven-race, $10-million event again when it is run at Santa Anita Saturday, Nov. 6, 1993.

The announcement was made Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in Florida by Ted Bassett, president of the Breeders’ Cup, and at Santa Anita by officials of the Oak Tree Racing Assn., which will be running its annual meeting at Santa Anita at that time of the year. This year’s Breeders’ Cup is scheduled for Gulfstream Oct. 31.

California played host for three of the first four Breeders’ Cups--at Hollywood Park in 1984 and 1987 and Santa Anita in 1986--but the event has gone East, to Churchill Downs and Gulfstream twice each, and to Belmont Park once, in the last five years. A couple of years ago, Santa Anita came close to getting the Breeders’ Cup for the second time, but negotiations broke off after Cup and Oak Tree officials were unable to agree on a contract. One of Oak Tree’s concerns was asking season-ticket holders to move to other locations on the day of the Breeders’ Cup.

That concern, and ticket pricing, were some of the issues during negotiations this time. “It’s difficult for a host track to have an outside agency come in and run the show,” Bassett said. “But the issues were solved quickly and amicably.”

Oak Tree and Santa Anita officials said compromises were made in order to reach an agreement for 1993.

The Breeders’ Cup will receive allocation rights to 9,000 seats, including some in the Turf Club, at Santa Anita next year. Temporary seating for 1,400 will be supplied on the apron in front of the track, similar to what was done in 1986. Ray Rogers, general manager of Oak Tree, estimated that 250 season-ticket holders will be asked to relocate.

The Breeders’ Cup was an idea that began with John Gaines, a Kentucky breeder. It has frequently determined horse-of-the-year honors and divisional championships.

The biggest race is the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ferdinand, Alysheba, Sunday Silence and Black Tie Affair won the Classic and went on to be voted horse of the year. Lady’s Secret won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita and was voted horse of the year in 1986.

Besides the Classic, there are five $1-million races: the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Juvenile Fillies, the Distaff, the Sprint and the Mile. The Mile is a grass race, as is the Breeders’ Cup Turf, which is worth $2 million.

Santa Anita will run three other stakes on Breeders’ Cup day, each worth $100,000. To accommodate the telecast and betting at Eastern locations, early post times are necessary. The first post in 1986 was 11:17 a.m.

Cliff Goodrich, president of Santa Anita, projected that the on-track crowd for the day might hit 60,000, with another 35,000 on hand at Southern California satellite betting centers. The Santa Anita on-track crowd on Breeders’ Cup day in 1986 was 69,155, but that was before the introduction of an off-track betting network in Southern California, which includes Hollywood Park, Los Alamitos and Del Mar. Off-track opportunities for patrons have had an impact on on-track crowds. The Breeders’ Cup record on-track attendance of 71,237 was set at Churchill Downs in 1988.

“The Breeders’ Cup in California may account for a record-breaking (betting) day,” Bassett said. “Record-breaking for both the Breeders’ Cup and the industry.”

Most Breeders’ Cup hosts don’t make money on the race day because of contractual agreements with the Breeders’ Cup, but having the races gives a track’s season an extraordinary impetus. In 1986, for example, Oak Tree’s average daily attendance for a 27-day meeting was 28,617, the highest in association history, and its handle averaged $5.6 million, breaking the record by about $700,000. The on-track handle for Breeders’ Cup day was $15.4 million, the national record until Churchill Downs broke it two years later on Kentucky Derby day.

Staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this story.