Santa Anita was, well…Santa Anita.

Beautiful mountains, beautiful foliage, beautiful architecture, and, of course, beautiful horses. There were quite a few beautiful people, too.

The facility has many nooks and crannies able to handle a Breeders’ Cup-size crowd. Betting lines were short, for the most part, though food shortages became a problem at several eating outlets.

The litter of losing tickets is a pest tracks will likely never be rid of, but extra employees were on hand to pick them up during the races.

On Friday and especially Saturday, the paddock was a colorful mass of unmoving human bodies with the occasional horse head or two poking up into the camera’s field of vision. The crowded conditions were not aided by the Breeders’ Cup blockade on the top steps of the saddling barn.

As horses returned after each Breeders’ Cup race, a solid wall of photographers would fan out perpendicular to the rail to get shots of the winners and losers as they galloped and trotted back to be unsaddled.

For many fans, the highlight of both days was Zenyatta’s win in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (formerly known as the Distaff). She remained undefeated in nine career starts, seven in 2008.

On Saturday, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin was cheered throughout his time in front of the public. Fans claimed their spots in the paddock and garden areas to catch a glimpse of him, before the Breeders’ Cup Turf was even run. Turf winner Conduit was forced to step off the path back to the receiving barn and circle in a small grassy area as fans lined the path the Classic contenders took to the walking ring. It seemed that race was forgotten as soon as it was “Curlin time.”

Approaching the Classic, very few spots remained on the entire outside track rail, from the tip of the Clubhouse to the top of the stretch entering the stable area.

As Curlin jogged in the post parade with his faithful pony friend Pancho, the crowd let out a roar, section by section. As he made his move for the lead in the final turn of the race, adrenaline levels spiked.

Unfortunately, Curlin was not able to sustain his rally, with European turf milers Raven’s Pass and Henrythenavigator, and locally-based Tiago passing him before the end.

Pin-drop.

In the post-race trophy presentations, the area surrounding the winners’ circle was full with fans and paparazzi hoping to get a view of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor Kurt Russell, and the effervescent Italian jockey Frankie Dettori. Likely the most well-known jockey in the world, Dettori always puts on a show with his famous flying dismounts and general enthusiasm. A group of English fans happily sang his theme song.

As expected, traffic was slow exiting the track. It is unavoidable with such a large mass of people in an already crowded area.

There was much to reminisce on while sitting bumper-to-bumper. The overall event went well, with memorable performances and few problems. There were likely many people who instantly blamed the synthetic Pro-Ride surface for Curlin’s loss and some of the Europeans’ victories. Many of those same people probably had their mind set before the races were even run.

Betting handle, attendance, and TV ratings were up compared to the 2007 Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park.

The biggest boast, though, is that no horses were injured. The Pro-Ride and turf tracks played fast, and SAFE. The headlines in the news the next days were not accompanied by a gruesome photo and indictment of the sport, but a celebration of horse racing at its best.

It was a great championship weekend at “The Great Race Place,” and it’s all coming back next year.

-Marcie Heacox

The morning hangout, Clocker’s Corner, is full of horsemen and fans alike. Television crews have horse spotters bantering back and forth by walkie-talkie. The wait for a breakfast burrito at the Clocker’s Corner to-go counter is half an hour. Santa Anita Park is spruced up with new flowers, paint, boards, drainage grates, parking lines, temporary seats and tents - whathaveyou. A classic prancing horse statue has greeted visitors to the paddock gardens throughout the meet, and, most obvious of all, the color purple is unavoidable.

Purple signs, banners, flowers, saddling numbers, jackets, credential cards, hats, saddlecloths…We are lucky they did not paint the Seabiscuit statue purple.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, of which purple is the official color, are already at Santa Anita Park in full force. At the end of each October, one lucky track gets to host the largest gathering of star horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, etc. in the entire year. Oak Tree at Santa Anita has the honor of hosting two consecutive Breeders’ Cups (2008 and 2009), and the first synthetic surface Cup. There are also several new races this year, expanded from 11 to 14.

Though Big Brown is out, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, the sensational Zenyatta, and many other domestic and foreign stars will race this Friday and Saturday to determine year-end titles in each division.

Visit this address for daily workout and schooling photos leading up to the big days.

Visit http://www.breederscup.com/ for event info.

About 40,000 Thoroughbreds are born each year. Some will make it to the racetrack, some will not. Some will become champions, while others will burn hay and holes in their owners’ wallets. Many, across the spectrum, are left with an uncertain future once they are no longer able to race or breed.

Horse racing enthusiast Dawn Mellen was at a racetrack one day when she saw an advertisement for horse rescue in a racing newspaper. “It was a website for a rescue organization, and I said, ‘Why do horses need to be rescued?’ When I went home, I logged onto the website, and I just did not realize what happened to many, many of these horses when their racing and breeding careers were done, ” she said.

Many are retired to plush farms or transition into other careers, but not all. Some end up with caretakers who are unable or unwilling to give them adequate care. Others are completely abandoned, left to fend for themselves after being dependent on humans their entire lives. At the ultimate end, some are slaughtered for foreign meat consumption.

Mellen became involved in horse rescue and continued for several years. Then, she wanted to do something a little different. “I found that what was common amongst the rescue and retirement organizations was lack of funding. They all have the will to take the horses, and they wanted to take the horses, but they couldn’t always do it,” said Mellen. She set out to start her own funding non-profit, which collects and disperses funds, as opposed to directly caring for horses. “There are hundreds and hundreds of rescue organizations, but there’s literally only a handful of funding non-profits for Thoroughbred horses. So I thought, ‘If I do that, I could just help everyone out there.’” Thus, After The Finish Line was born in October of 2007.

ATFL is a 501 (c) 3 funding non-profit organization based in San Diego, California. They give aid in two ways - yearly grants are dispersed at the beginning of the year, and emergency funds are set aside for each month. “We provide funding for horses that [rescue organizations] purchase at auction, for medical needs, for feed, hay, and transportation. Whatever has to do with the Thoroughbreds is what we provide funding for,” Mellen said.

The current horse racing environment contains a heightened interest in horse welfare, including topics on synthetic racing surfaces, drugs, and horse slaughter. On May 3, 2008, Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby, but something that happened after the race would turn out to have a greater lasting impact on the sport. The filly Eight Belles finished second, but broke both front ankles galloping out after the race, having to be euthanized. As the Triple Crown wore on, trainer Rick Dutrow told the press that he had been administering steroids to Big Brown and other horses, opening up the reality of drugs in horse racing to the awareness of the general public. HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” then did a piece on horse slaughter, relating it primarily to horse racing. All three topics sparked outrage from animal rights activists, interrogation from the United States Congress, and a deeper introspection within the horse racing industry.

Mellen said that these recent incidents have “raised the level of consciousness of people that are not aware that these things happen. We’re getting more press about it in racing journals, racing newspapers, and also in your mainstream newspapers.” She also said that she received donations in honor of Eight Belles, including people who had won money betting on her. “They would rather give it to After The Finish Line so that we can use it to help other horses.”

On the other hand, the slow economy is less than favorable to those trying to afford expensive upkeep of horses. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of rescue organizations that need funding. We’re seeing that these rescue organizations are seeing more calls to take horses in because their owners maybe cannot afford the horse, cannot afford the upkeep and the care of the horse,” Mellen said. The good news, however, is that donations have not dropped.

ATFL recently helped with the purchase of hay for a California organization, since hay prices have tripled . On the east coast, ATFL sent monetary aid for the medical care of Thoroughbreds whose caretaker was badly injured in an equine accident.”Now that she doesn’t have the opportunity to do her fund-raising, we’re going to step in and help her because of her injury,” said Mellen.

Mellen stresses that Thoroughbreds at all levels need help, from lower-level claimers to multiple stakes winners. Not all horses are retired at the peak of their career to breed for exorbitant fees. “You have to realize that the stakes horses can come down in purse. They’re still a strong athlete, and they still run, but maybe over time people forget who they were. Instead of running in a million dollar race, now they’re in a $50,000 race,” said Mellen. Geldings are particularly at risk, because they have no breeding value.

“Not every horse is going to win a race, but they all try. They all deserve a happy ending.”

More information is available at http://www.afterthefinishline.org

Congratulations to Peppers Pride on setting a new North American record of 17-consecutive wins!

Today, Peppers Pride will…wait, wait, wait! Let’s check the weather forecast for Hobbs, NM first - “a mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High near 85F. Winds S at 25 to 35 mph.” Nice.

The plight of Peppers Pride has been chronicled in several entries on this blog, and always inclement weather foiled Peppers Pride’s bid for a North American record 17th-straight victory. First, Hurricane leftovers nearly washed away Ruidoso Downs. Next, seasonal New Mexico rains delayed her start yet again.

It has now been over five months since Peppers Pride’s last race, making the wins record even more difficult to break with such a long gap. Today, she runs in a six-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Zia Park in Hobbs, NM.

Entries for Zia Park, race 8, are available at Equibase.com. Local post time is 3:17 p.m. Mountain (2:17 p.m. Pacific and 5:17 Eastern). Interestingly, Peppers Pride’s trainer Joel Marr and owner Joe Allen have another New Mexico-bred, Complete Pride, entered in the race. Both mares are sired by Desert God.