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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 January 23, 1963 reads "Crimson King Farm's Crimson Satan, favorite in the inaugural running of the $100,000-added Charles H. Strub Stakes Saturday at Santa Anita, is shown training for classic with exercise rider."
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