SANTA ANITA, THE GREAT RACE PLACE
by Geoffrey Willis
With all the nostalgia that swirls around Mom and Pop establishments and quaint
roadside attractions along Route 66, some of its grander points of interest seem to get
overlooked. One such case is Santa Anita Park, one of our nation’s finest
thoroughbred racetracks. Located in Arcadia, California, at the Y intersection where
Huntington Drive veers southwest and 66 follows Colorado Place, Santa Anita has been
offering first class racing since 1934.
It is hardly possible to imagine a more perfect setting for horse racing as one looks
from the grandstand across the track and infield to the backdrop of the beautiful San
Gabriel mountains. Such was how E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin, the founder of Santa
Anita, felt upon his arrival in these parts in the early 1870s, saying, ‘This is
paradise, the spot I’ve been looking for all my life."
In 1875, he went to work on buying and developing the enormous Rancho Santa Anita
which, at its height, encompassed what is now Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, El Monte,
Baldwin Park and much more. The empire produced wine, brandy, grain, oranges, grapes,
lemons, walnuts and supported herds of sheep, cattle, and horses. Although most of the
horses were field workers, a select group became the roots of what would become one of the
finest thoroughbred nurseries in the world. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s he raced horses
in California, Chicago, St. Louis, and all across the east. He built a stable of winners
which often finished first and seldom out of the money. With the arrival of the 20th
century, Baldwin, now in his seventies, embarked on his last enterprise — building
his own racetrack. In December of 1907 he arrived on Santa Anita’s opening day having
realized his greatest ambition.
The park was located off Huntington Drive where Santa Anita Golf Course is today. The
grandstand faced north toward the mountains just as the present one does. In 1909, horse
racing was banned throughout California and Santa Anita was forced to close. Baldwin died
the same year. The grandstand burned in 1912. The park went unused until 1917 when Anita
Baldwin sold the property to Los Angeles County, who deeded it to the War Department for a
U.S. Army Balloon School.
During the 1920s planning began for the creation of a network of federal highways.
Arcadia and Monrovia vied for advantageous alignments of the new transcontinental highway
Route 66. The Huntington Drive Improvement Association of Monrovia was born in January,
1925 and soon had sister associations in Duarte and Arcadia. The purpose of the groups was
to widen and straighten the existing Huntington Drive and Foothill Boulevard to carry the
increased highway traffic. The San Gabriel River Bridge was also widened as part of this
project. Central to the road straightening objective was to cut a new thoroughfare through
the Baldwin ranch. Negotiations both with the ranch owners and with civic leaders seeking
to route the new highway through their respective business districts slowed the pace of
progress. By 1931, however, the road known now as Colorado Place through the ranch
connecting Huntington Drive with Colorado Boulevard into Pasadena had been accomplished
and was officially recognized as Route 66.
In the early 30s paramutual betting became legal again in California and Anita Baldwin
applied for city zoning and a license to do business as the Los Angeles Jockey Club. In
August of 1932, excavation for a new racetrack began on the Baldwin estate. However, the
work ended suddenly in March of 1933 as rumors of unpaid bills surfaced.
This is when a group of racing enthusiasts called the Los Angeles Turf Club came about.
The group was pioneered by movie producer Hal Roach who gave us Laurel and Hardy, the
Little Rascals, and Harold Lloyd. He approached Carleton Burke, racing commission
chairman, about a slate of winter dates. He appealed to Gwynn Wilson, athletic director of
USC and associate manager of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles to take on the task of
designing a new racetrack. Roach also proposed a $100,000 purse when races commonly paid
half of that. This would insure the participation of quality horses and jockeys. He firmly
believed the success of the new track depended on offering the public first class
entertainment.
At about the same time, Dr. Charles Strub of San Francisco and associates secured the
first permit from the newly created California Horse Racing Board. Not satisfied with
sites offered in the north, Strub joined with Roach’s Turf Club in the south. Dr.
Strub literally went door to door selling stock at $5,000 a share in the new venture which
Roach billed as a million dollar track with a $100,000 purse. High stakes indeed! Their
efforts proved successful and 214 acres were purchased from Anita Baldwin. Roach had
advocated a location closer to downtown Los Angeles but Burke virtually insisted on the
Santa Anita site, given the history of horse racing established by "Lucky"
Baldwin. Ground was broken in March of 1934 east of the site chosen in 1932 by Anita
Baldwin and the park opened on Christmas Day, 1934.
Gwynn Wilson chose Gordon Kaufman as the architect. Kaufman’s art deco clubhouse
and grandstand would later win an international award of merit at the 1937 Paris
Exhibition. It is amazing that neither Kaufman nor Wilson had never been on a race track
previous to this. The two toured race tracks throughout the country in March of 1934
looking for ideas. They found what they wanted at Hialeah and Arlington.
The Christmas opening was a grand success playing to a capacity crowd including movie
stars and many dignitaries. Moreover, the idea of racing through the winter was hardly
accidental. Being as southern California was a winter playground offering good weather,
premium horses were available to race. There also were no other spectator sports such as
football or baseball to compete with. Thus, the odds for success favored Santa Anita.
Although there was an initial drop in attendance after the novelty faded, the new park
continued to draw on a steadily increasing basis.
The impact of the Great Depression was certainly felt in southern California. However,
the newly opened track and the recently improved Route 66 combined to bring signs of
prosperity to Arcadia. Arcadia’s first motel, the Santa Anita Motor Inn, was
constructed in 1937 on the north side of Huntington Drive near Colorado Place. Numerous
restaurants such as the Pines Café, Walkers Bar-B-Que and The Derby appeared. By the end
of the 30s, this area of Arcadia was flourishing with new business.
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the resulting declaration
of war on Japan ushered in a grim period of Santa Anita history. On February 19, 1942,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 authorizing the evacuation
from the west coast all persons of Japanese ancestry. Citizen or not and regardless of
loyalty to the United States, Japanese residents of California, Oregon, Washington and
Arizona were compelled to relocate to inland internment camps for the duration of the war.
The decimation of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor having left the west coast vulnerable to
attack and suspicions amongst the U.S. Army high command that significant numbers of
Japanese loyal to the emperor and his war aims were living in the American west were the
principal reasons given for this severe action. However, it seems improbable that an
element of knee-jerk retaliatory racism was not also a factor. In any case, twelve
assembly centers were established in California to provide temporary housing for Japanese
awaiting relocation to camps in the U.S. interior. Santa Anita Park was one of them.
Wherever possible, assembly centers were set up at racetracks (horse racing was
suspended for the duration of the war) and at fairgrounds to take advantage of the
adequate space and availability of water and electrical power.
On March 21, 1942, construction began on hundreds of little barrack-style houses. In
less than two weeks more than five hundred little houses had been assembled by the Army
Corps of Engineers. In just 29 days, the entire project was completed, including kitchens
equipped to furnish nearly 60,000 meals a day, mess halls with seating accommodations, a
hospital, post office, giant shower building and laundry facility. There were also
facilities for the Military Police assigned to guard the evacuees. Originally planned for
15,000 people, the final project housed over 20,000. The Santa Anita Center had the
longest period of occupancy and was by far the heaviest populated of all.
The 420-acre camp was divided into seven districts, then into individually numbered
barracks, thus giving each family an address. Overall living space was quite limited: A
typical unit of two rooms, 20 by 8 feet, housed four to six people. Each resident was
issued an Army-manufacture bed, one blanket and one straw tick. Each room was allocated
one 40-watt light bulb. Toilets consisted of ten seats lined up: hard, fresh-sawed,
un-sandpapered wood; automatic flushing about every fifteen minutes. The entire complex
was surrounded by barbed wire and spaced lookout towers with armed guards. At night,
searchlights were constantly played over the camp.
By the end of October 1942 every Japanese family had been relocated to an interior
camp. By December 1942, Santa Anita Park was converted for yet another use as an ordinance
training center and the six-month life of the Santa Anita Assembly Center for the Japanese
was over.
When the post bell again was heard on May 5, 1945, it not only meant that horse racing
was back, but rang in a whole new era of prosperity for Santa Anita. The special late
spring season played to ever growing crowds. The infield was bedecked with over 2000
plants in a stunning floral display and two new tunnels now accessed it to the grandstand.
The stables wee completely restored and a new grandstand ramp done in red, brown, black,
and gray tiles had been installed. Featured that season was the impressive stable of
thoroughbreds brought forth by movie mogul Louis B. Mayer. Jockey John Longden, riding for
Mayer, st a 40-day season record by riding 65 winners.
The post-war years of 1946 and 47 brought forth a series of improvements to enhance the
luxury and comfort of the patrons. People had money in their pockets again and the time to
relax and enjoy it. In 1946, Dr. Strub was honored by the New York Turf Writers
Association as "The Man Who Had Done the Most for American Racing". This kind of
recognition underscored the prominent place held by Santa Anita in the national horse
racing picture.
The 1950s and 60s witnessed the heroics of many fabulous race horses. Hill Gail
won both the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies. In 1954, Determine became the first
gray to win both Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies. In 1955 saw Swaps take the San
Vicente Handicap, the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby, winning him the honor of
"Greatest California-bred horse of all time. He was never beaten at the Arcadia
track." Not to be outdone, in 1966 Lucky Debonair won the Big ‘Cap,
the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies.
However, without a doubt, the most revered horse in Santa Anita history has to be Seabiscuit.
He ran in the Big ‘Cap three times before he won it, finishing just a nose behind his
rivals Rosemont and Stagehand in 1937 and ’38. He was injured in his
only start in 1939 and was pastured in northern California to recuperate, but the
"Smart Money" said the popular stallion was done.
Both Seabiscuit and his long time rider, jockey Red Pollard were out of shape
and recovering from injuries. "Just a couple of old cripples," Pollard said and
then added, "We’re all washed up, eh Pappy?" with his arm around the
horse’s neck. And so began the long and relentless road in the summer of 1939 back to
the past. Owner Charles Howard recalled, "At first they only walked him later jogged
him a mile, two miles, three — gradually building him up". Seabiscuit was
put on a diet and muzzled at night to keep him from eating his bedding. "At times it
was pathetic — almost more than you could stand", Howard said, "but we
didn’t give in."
In November of 1939 the stallion’s return to racing was announced as the turf
writers responded with skepticism. Seabiscuit and Pollard made their first
appearance at Santa Anita on February 9, 1940, nearly a year since their last race. The
stallion wore bandages and the crowd took note with fear and sympathy. "They
didn’t win, but they didn’t end up in a heap on the race track either. As a
matter of fact, they turned in a very creditable performance."
Seabiscuit finished sixth eight days later at the San Carlos Handicap. With the
Big ‘Cap just two weeks away, the public outcry to "take the poor fellow
out" became louder. The San Antonio Handicap followed and suddenly the blazing speed
of old burst through and Seabiscuit won handily by two full lengths.
The day of the Big ‘Cap came in early March of 1940 — the big race where
victory had eluded Pollard and the Biscuit two times before and the race the
skeptics said the stallion would never see again. To the screams and strains of the
crowed, the "two old cripples" flew down the track, keeping pace with the
leaders. As the other horses tired and began to fall back, Seabiscuit poured it on
running the race of his life. He blew past the finish a length-and-a-half in front of his
chasing stable mate Kayak and the unbelievable had happened. At the incredible age
of six, Seabiscuit had come back to claim the prize and forever go down in the
annuals of Santa Anita history. A statue of the great horse pays tribute to him on the
grounds today.
The story of Santa Anita, like that of the highway it borders, is one of vision,
perseverance, and success. The park’s regular season runs January through April with
a short season in October. One can hardly visit this landmark attraction and not be
touched by its beauty, pageantry, and history. It is truly one of the great gems of Routes
66.
