Santa Anita Park appears to have landed the 2012 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. This will be the third time in five years that Santa Anita will play host to racing’s championship series, the last hosting being in 2008 and 2009. This will be the sixth time in Breeders’ Cup history that Santa Anita will play host to the coveted event.
In addition to Santa Anita, both Churchill Downs and Belmont Park had been finalists for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup.
One factor that may have worked in Santa Anita’s favor is that Greg Avioli, who is the former Breeders’ Cup CEO is now the CEO of Stronach Entertainment which runs Santa Anita Park among others.
Avioli said that many consider the 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cup hosted by Santa Anita to be among the best ever held. In fact, after Zenyatta won the Classic in 2009 in front of a packed house, many said that what they witnessed was the best moment in racing of their lives.
Another factor might have been that when the event has been held at Santa Anita, it has generally been successful, so why mess with a formula that has worked before?
No comment was forthcoming from the Breeders’ Cup organization itself
The Breeders’ Cup this year will be held on November 4th and 5th at Churchill Downs, which will be the second consecutive year in which the event has been held there. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup seven times already.
Though no formal announcement has yet been made, invitations to an event in downtown Los Angeles sent out Tuesday read: “Please join the Breeders’ Cup and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a luncheon and special announcement.” One need not be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that Santa Anita Park will likely be the venue for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup.
Some had concerns about Santa Anita’s main dirt track, however it was just renovated again and recently re-opened to generally positive reviews.
Reports are that Frank Stronach who heads the Stronach Group, which controls Santa Anita Park believes a Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita would be great for California racing.
Other factors must be taken into account when deciding who to award the Breeders’ Cup to, including venue size, the ability to handle an international group of horses, and of course the surrounding accommodations.
The 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cups at Santa Anita generated approximately $60 million in revenue to the Los Angeles area in those two years, according to Breeders’ Cup officials.
In addition, the influx of visitors over the two-day event contributed roughly $20,000 to the coffers of Arcadia, the city in which Santa Anita Park is located. This came as sales tax as well as thousands more in hotel bed tax.
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