Buoyed by the benefits of Senate Bill 27 and favorable weather throughout most of the winter, Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting closed on April 19 with modest gains in both wagering and attendance.
Total daily average handle was $11,830,250, a 1.6 percent increase over the 1997-98 meeting. The most significant gain was in satellite wagering, which increased 11.43 percent to $3,581,834. On-track handle was up 1.96 percent to $2,574,122. Twice, the meet topped $24 million in total handle. One of these was Santa Anita Handicap Day, March 7, in which $24,749,107 was pushed through the mutuels. It marked a California record for a non-Breeders’ Cup day.
Total daily average attendance was 25,928, up 2.94 percent. Those figures broke down to 12,482 on-track, a 1.01 percent increase; and 13,446 at satellite facilities, up 4.8 percent.
Senate Bill 27 was also responsible for a significant increase in purses by providing $40 million in tax relief for California racetracks and helped to slightly increase the size of fields to an average of 8.7 starters per race. Only nine programs were run on off-tracks, as compared to the 38 run last year during an El Nino season. Threatening weather, however, seriously impacted on-track attendance for two of the meet’s biggest days, the Santa Anita Handicap and Santa Anita Derby.
Three California-breds were voted bests of the meeting in their respective divisions. Free House was Horse of the Meeting, as well as the meeting’s leading older horse for his victories in the Santa Anita and San Antonio Handicaps. Big Jag, a three-time stakes winner at the meeting, was voted outstanding sprinter, and Santa Anita Derby winner General Challenge was the meeting’s leading three-year-old. Bob Baffert was the leading trainer and David Flores the leading jockey.