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Thursday, December 17, 2015 - December 23, 2015
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Since 1996
COMPLIMENTARY COPY VOLUME 19, NO. 51
Santa Anita Horse Racing 79th Winter Meet Starts Dec. 26
And Away They Go: The Horses at Santa Anita are getting ready for the autumn meeting with some of the best jockeys in the world - riding some of the top Thoroughbreds in racing history!
BY TERRY MILLER It is cold December and that means two big things are happening locally: The Rose Parade and Santa Anita’s Winter Meet. Triple Crown champion Victor Espinoza and all-time Breeders’ Cup leader Mike
Smith will again be center stage when Santa Anita Park opens for its 79th Winter Meeting on Saturday, Dec. 26. The Great Race Place will open with a bang, as it will present four graded stakes, highlighted by a pair of Grade I stakes - the Malibu and La Brea, the day after Christmas.
In addition to Espinoza and Smith, Hall of Famers Gary Stevens, Kent Desormeaux, and Alex Solis will again be full-time members of Santa Anita’s exclusive jockey colony. Additionally, Peruvian sensation Rafael Bejarano, who notched his 24th Southern California riding title at
the recently concluded Bing Crosby Meet at Del Mar, will be seeking his seventh Winter Meet title and will compete on a daily basis alongside other top riders such as Joe Talamo, Martin Garcia, Corey Nakatani, Tyler Baze, Martin Pedroza, Mario Gutierrez, Flavien Prat, Santiago Gonzalez, James Graham,
Arcadia City Council Recap
Mixed-Use Project, Underground Utilities, Funding Approvals, Museum Donation BY JOE TAGLIERI The Arcadia City Council concluded 2015 on Tuesday with a variety of municipal actions that included approving a large combined residential and commercial project on Duarte Road and agreeing to replace utility poles with an underground
system on Moreland Avenue adjacent to the forthcoming Rusnak Mercedes dealership. The project at Duarte Road and First Avenue will include more than 19,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor SEE PAGE 14
Rendering of the mixed-use project to come on Duarte Road. – Courtesy Photo
– Photo by Terry Miller
Drayden Van Dyke, and others. Espinoza, 43, followed up his Triple Crown run with the Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah by guiding the son of Pioneer of the Nile to a sensational win in his career finale - the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31. Pharoah provided
Espinoza with his third career win in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, fueling media exposure that far transcended the confines of American racing. Proclaiming himself “The luckiest Mexican on Earth,” following his Derby win on
Santa Anita Park has begun to explore all options to find the new voice of The Great Race Place for the next generation of fans. Submissions are welcome from around the world and the track will make arrangements for qualified candidates from outside of the
United States to audition at the historic facility. “Santa Anita is one of the most unique tracks in the world and the voice of Santa Anita should be just as unique,” said Joe Morris, SVP West Coast Op-
SEE PAGE 21
Santa Anita Searching for the New Great Race Voice
SEE PAGE 15