Santa Anita Derby
| Grade I race | |
| Location |
Santa Anita Park Arcadia, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1935 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Santa Anita Park |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 122 lbs (55.3 kg) |
| Purse | $1 million |
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of {{frac|1|1|8-miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $1 million. It is one of the final prep races on the official Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Inaugurated in 1935, the Santa Anita Derby has long been considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby. Since 2013, it has been part of the official Road to the Kentucky Derby, offering the winner 100 points and thus assuring a position in the starting gate. Since its inception, ten Santa Anita Derby winners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby (shown in bold in the Winners section below), plus seven horses who lost at Santa Anita went on to triumph in Kentucky. In 1988, Winning Colors became the first and to date only filly to win both Derbies. Santa Anita Derby winners have also been successful in other Triple Crown races, with Affirmed sweeping the series in 1978.
Now run at a distance of 1 1⁄8 miles (9 Furlongs), for the first three years it was run at 1 1⁄16 miles, and at 1 1⁄4 miles in 1947. Until 2008, the race had been run on a natural dirt surface. The race has been contested on Cushion Track (2008) and Pro-Ride (2009 & 2010) artificial surfaces. In 2011, the race returned to dirt.
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Wikipedia