The Breeders' Cup confirmed Aug. 9 that the 2013 World Championships will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2.
Santa Anita, which will be the site of this year’s World Championships Nov. 2-3, has hosted the event five times, most recently back-to-back editions in 2008 and 2009, both of which set new records for attendance and wagering. Santa Anita is owned by The Stronach Group. The 2013 renewal will be the 30th year for the World Championships.
The official announcement came one day after Daily Racing Form reported Santa Anita would host the 2013 races.
The 2013 Breeders’ Cup will be televised on the NBC Sports Network, and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) will be shown live and on primetime on NBC from 8-9 p.m. ET. The NBC Sports Network is also televising this year’s Breeders’ Cup with primetime coverage of the Nov. 3 Classic on NBC..
"We are delighted to extend our partnership with Santa Anita, to celebrate the 30th edition of our Championships in Southern California and for the unprecedented opportunity to showcase the Breeders’ Cup Classic in primetime for a second consecutive year," said Breeders' Cup president and CEO Craig Fravel in a release. "Southern California and the greater Los Angeles community are always exceptional hosts for fans and horsemen alike from the event's launch in 1984 and, most recently, at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships."
"We are pleased the Breeders' Cup has chosen to stay at Santa Anita for the 2013 World Championships," Mike Rogers, president of The Stronach Group's racing division, said in a statement. "This underlines the commitment of The Stronach Group to present world-class racing at its venues around the country."
The 2013 running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships marks the 10th time the event will be held in Southern California over its 30-year history. According to a study by Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the Breeders’ Cup generated in excess of $60 million in economic impact in the Los Angeles area in both 2008 and 2009.
"We are very proud that California has once again been selected to host the Breeders' Cup and we will take all the steps necessary to ensure that the Breeders' Cup this November and next year at Santa Anita will be of the highest caliber for our racing fans and horsemen in our state and for our guests attending from around the world," said Keith Brackpool, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board.
"The Thoroughbred Owners of California is happy to support the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to California and Santa Anita Park," said TOC chairman Mike Pegram. "In addition to providing a much-needed boost to the state and local economies, the event gives California horsemen an opportunity to compete against the world's best at one of our sport’s most outstanding racetracks."
