Facing a significant deficit in the purse account, Santa Anita has reduced overnight purses for its fall meeting, which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 27. The reduction continues a troubling trend that has led to lower purses at two other Southern California tracks this year – Del Mar and the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meetings. According to the Santa Anita condition book, which details proposed races for the five-week meeting, a maiden race will be worth $54,000, down from $61,000 in the autumn of 2023. A $16,000 claimer for non-winners of two will be worth $21,000, a decline of $3,000 from last year. The purse of a $50,000 claiming race for California-bred maidens has been reduced from $35,000 in 2023 to $30,000 this year. Santa Anita also cut purses earlier this year for its winter-spring and spring meetings compared to the corresponding meetings the previous year. As recently as the 2022-23 winter-spring meeting, the track increased purses in some categories of overnight races. The purse decreases come at a time when the track’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, has funded massive increases for three stakes on Sept. 28 in an effort to develop a day of increased attendance and handle similar to the Pegasus World Cup program held at Gulfstream Park in late January. Gulfstream Park is also owned by 1/ST Racing. The Sept. 28 program is led by the Grade 1 California Crown at 1 1/8 miles, which will have a purse of $1 million. The race was worth $300,000 and known as the Awesome Again Stakes until last year. Two Grade 2 turf races will be run for $750,000, an increase from $200,000 last year - the John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles, and the Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.