Santa Anita Derby Betting

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The Santa Anita Derby (G1) has been run since 1935, and since 2013 it has been run in early April and a part of the official Road to the Kentucky Derby. The winner earns 100 points and assures a position in the starting gate to the Kentucky Derby. The 1 1/8 mile race for 3-year-olds currently carries a purse of $1 million.  

Leading into the Santa Anita Derby are a number of local preps worth watching, as many of those runners are improving and pointing towards the biggest purse and race in hopes of qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. The Sham Stakes (1 mile) in early January, Robert B. Lewis (1 1/16) in early February and San Felipe (1 1/16) in early March are also Kentucky Derby preps leading up to the Santa Anita Derby.

The fastest time in the 1 1/8 mile Santa Anita Derby is 1:47.00 flat, and it’s jointly held by three horses, Lucky Debonair (1965), Sham (1973) and Indian Charlie in 1998. Since 2008, California Chrome has posted the fastest time at 1:47.52.

Both California Chrome (2014) and I’ll Have Another (2012) have won the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby in the past 10 years, but it had been 23 years prior to I’ll Have Another when a horse won both races. A total of 10 horses have won both races in the same year. Affirmed (1978) is the only Triple Crown winner to have also won the Santa Anita Derby.

Santa Anita had a synthetic Cushion Track in 2008 and a Pro-Ride artificial surface in 2009 and 2010 before switching back to a dirt surface in 2011. So looking at the recent winners, we see that both Dortmund (2015) and California Chrome (2014) won the San Felipe leading into their victories as heavy favorites in the Santa Anita Derby. So pay attention to that lead up race, and the other Santa Anita preps and look for horses that are showing improved speed figures and making stronger moves in the late stages of those races and if they are galloping out strong past the finish. They’ll have to run a little extra distance in the Santa Anita Derby.

Past Santa Anita Derby winners and numbers