Santa Anita tweaks stakes schedule

Santa Anita unveiled the stakes schedule for its winter-spring meet on

Friday, two days after announcing the retooled Sunshine Millions program. Led by

the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes on opening day, December 26, the schedule

features nine Grade 1 events over the course of its 79-day meet which will

conclude April 22.

The seven-furlong Malibu will be one of four stakes offered on opening day,

joined by the Grade 2, $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes, the $100,000 California

Breeders Champion Stakes and the $100,000 California Breeders Champion Stakes

for fillies.

The Malibu's companion race for three-year-old fillies, the Grade 1, $300,000

La Brea Stakes, has shifted from opening day to December 31. It no longer serves

as the opening leg of a three-race La Canada series, for the middle leg, the

Grade 2 El Encino, is conspicuously absent from the schedule. The Grade 2 La

Canada, a 1 1/16-mile test for newly-turned four-year-old fillies, has

accordingly moved up to January 22.

The stakes for sophomore fillies of 2012 have also been shuffled. The Grade

1, $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks has been delayed to March 31, prompting shake-ups

in its preps. The Grade 2 Santa Ynez has been shortened from seven to 6 1/2

furlongs on January 15, the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel has been shifted to January 28,

and the Grade 1 Las Virgenes has been pushed back a month to March 3.

The Santa Ysabel is part of the revamped Sunshine Millions Day, along with

the Grade 1 Santa Monica Stakes and three $100,000 California-bred stakes. The Crystal Water for older horses at 1

1/16 miles, the Sensational Star for older horses at 6 1/2 furlongs down Santa

Anita's hillside turf course and the Valentine Dancer for older fillies and

mares at one mile on turf, will complete the stakes lineup on a card that will

offer more than $1 million in purse money.

As usual, the meet is punctuated by its signature Grade 1 contests -- the

$750,000 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on March 3 and the $750,000 Santa

Anita Derby over 1 1/8 miles on April 7.

The distance of an important prep for the Santa Anita

Derby, the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes, has been trimmed. Run in 2011 at 1 1/16 miles, the Sham will now be run

at one mile on January 7.

A chain-reaction of changes involves the turf division. With the Grade 2 San

Luis Obispo off the program, the graded races that had preceded it have now been

pushed back several weeks from their typical dates. The Grade 2, $150,000 San

Gabriel, once a late December staple, will be run on January 16, Martin Luther

King Jr. Day. The Grade 2, $150,000 San Marcos gives up that spot on the

calendar for its new date, February 11.

The Grade 2, $150,000 Arcadia for turf milers will be held about two months

earlier, on February 4. It therefore replaces the Grade 3 Thunder Road as the

principal course-and-distance prep for the Grade 1, $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe

Mile on Big 'Cap Day, March 3.

Santa Anita's traditional closing day feature, the iconic Grade 2, $150,000 San

Juan Capistrano Handicap for older horses at 1 3.4 miles on turf will be carded as

the meet's final race on April 22.

Santa Anita Vice President of Racing Rick Hammerle commented on the new

schedule.

"We've made several adjustments to our schedule and we feel this line-up is

going to be very appealing to our horsemen," Hammerle said.

"We moved the La Brea from opening day to December 31 and we added a couple of

$200,000 California-bred stakes on March 31, the Echo Eddie for three-year-olds

and the Evening Jewel for three-year-old fillies.

"Beyond our stakes schedule, we hope to be able to provide plenty of

opportunities for three-year-olds to break their maidens and to eventually be

considered stakes-caliber horses. We're optimistic that we're going to have a

good meet."