This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends
Photograph was edited for publication purposes. Santa Anita Racetrack, located at 285 W. Huntington Drive, is the oldest racetrack in Southern California. The "first" Santa Anita Racetrack was opened on December 7, 1907, but closed two years later. In 1933, Hollywood director Hal Roach and San Francisco dentist Dr. Charles Strub formed the Los Angeles Turf Club and raised funds to build a new track. Designed in an Art Deco style by Gordon B. Kaufman, the "new" Santa Anita Park opened December 25, 1934. In 1942, racing at Santa Anita was suspended and Santa Anita was used as a Japanese American internment center from 1942-1944. A downhill turf course was added in 1953, and in the 1960s major renovations included a much-expanded grandstand as well as additional seating. In 2007, the park added a synthetic "cushion" track to the existing turf course. The Park contains 61 barns, which house more than 2,000 horses, and an equine hospital. Photograph caption dated March 13, 1961 reads "Harness racing, America's fastest growing spectator sport, returns to the Southland tomorrow, when Western Harness Racing Assn. raises the curtain on its 20-day spring meeting at Santa Anita. Nine-race opening day program starts at 1:15 p.m." The racetrack is in Arcadia.
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