“Simply put, the Ship & Win program is a winner,” said Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Merz. “Santa Anita is a great place to train and race in the winter and with these bonuses in place for out-of-state horses, it's made us even more attractive to many owners and trainers around the country.

“Field size is always a top priority and with Ship & Win bolstering our inventory, we're in a better position to present an attractive product for our players to bet on. We're optimistic for the new year and we encourage anyone with questions to please give us a call.”

Eligible Ship & Win horses will receive a $5,000 bonus, as well as purse money at 35% above their allotted purse percentage for one start. Horses which became eligible at the 2022 Del Mar Crosby Season Meet will also be eligible for Ship & Win bonuses in their first start at Santa Anita's upcoming Classic Meeting.

The $5,000 bonus will also apply to any stakes horse that meets Ship & Win eligibility guidelines, but those horses will not be eligible for the 35% purse increase.

Santa Anita's Classic Meet condition book is available online at santaanita.com and in print form in the Santa Anita Racing Office.

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Total handle for the four-week, 13-day fall session was $171.58 million. The fall meet average daily handle was a record $13.19 million, which was 1.0% higher than the record average daily handle posted last year.

The Breeders' Cup–held at Del Mar Nov. 5 and 6–had a common-pool handle of $183,260,127, a two-day record for the championship event. When Del Mar last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2017, it posted a then-record handle of $166,077,486. The new mark is 10.4% higher than that.

Del Mar's wagering in 2021 totaled $943.49 million, 21.3% higher than the previous record of $778.97 million set in 2017 the last time Del Mar hosted the Breeders' Cup.

“I am exceptionally proud of our team and seeing all their hard work come to such wonderful fruition over the course of the two seasons,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's CEO, Joe Harper. “We put on a helluva Breeders' Cup show once again; we were at our best for the best. And we're safe, very safe. That's just the best of all.”

The track's Ship & Win program featured 67 new runners who came to town this fall under the program with six of them making a second start during the Bing Crosby Season. In total, 1,885 “S&W” runners have come to California since the program was put in place 11 years ago.

The track's fall riding leading rider was Juan Hernandez with 17 firsts from 79 mounts during the 15-day (counting the Breeders' Cup) session. It is his first riding title at Del Mar. Top trainer honors went to Phil D'Amato, who registered 15 firsts from 52 starters. It is his first fall riding championship, but his third at the track overall.

Racing will return to Del Mar July 22 for the track's 83rd summer season.

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Horses that are eligible will receive a $5,000 bonus and a 35% premium on purse money for one start. Horses that became eligible at the recently concluded Del Mar fall meet will also be eligible for 'Ship & Win' bonuses for their first start at Santa Anita this winter. The $5,000 bonus will also apply to any horse that meets Ship & Win guidelines, but those horses will not be eligible for the 35% purse increase.

“All of us have been gratified at the success of the Ship & Win program this year, at both Del Mar and here at Santa Anita,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary. “We're certainly hoping to continue to attract more out-of-state horses this winter and spring and given the significant amount of money available, this has certainly incentivized our horsemen to go out and procure additional racing prospects.”

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The track could point to many other positives throughout the 2021 year – the return of racing fans, exceptional purses for its horsemen, and hosting another record-setting Breeders' Cup among them. But the standard the track is proudest of is its continuing mark as America's safest major racetrack. Only one horse was injured catastrophically in the 426 races and 3,552 starters that performed during the two sessions, a mark that is unmatched in the country.

Total handle for the four-week, 13-day fall session was $171.58 million. The fall meet average daily handle was a record $13.19 million, which was 1.0% higher than the record average daily handle posted last year.

The Breeders' Cup – conducted at Del Mar on November 5 and 6 – had a common-pool handle of $183,260,127, a two-day record for the championship event.

When Del Mar last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2017, it posted a then-record handle of $166,077,486. The new mark is 10.4% higher than that.

The two-meet mark of $943.49 million is 21.3% higher than the 2017 standard of $779.97 million. Both years featured Breeders' Cups.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's CEO, Joe Harper, said he was extremely pleased by events at his track over the year. “I am exceptionally proud of our team and seeing all their hard work come to such wonderful fruition over the course of the two seasons,” he said. “We put on a helluva Breeders' Cup show once again; we were at our best for the best. And we're safe, very safe. That's just the best of all.”

“The racing world once again got to see what we're spoiled with every year – one of the best operations in the industry,” said Gary Fenton, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners. “Breeders' Cup kicked off another wonderful meet and we're so grateful for the entire DMTC team. TOC couldn't ask for a better partner.”

The track's Ship & Win program – where it encourages horsemen and horsewomen to bring their runners to Del Mar for both of its seasons and has proven to be one of the great thoroughbred magnets in the country – had another banner session. Sixty-seven new runners came to town this fall under the program with six of them making a second start during the Bing Crosby Season. All told, 1,885 “S&W” runners have come to California since the program was put in place 11 years ago.

Its fall Turf Festival again drew high-class runners from across the land to compete in its seven-race stand over the final weekend of the meet. More than a dozen stakes aces shipped in to take on the local runners in the rich events.

The track's fall riding king was Juan Hernandez with his 17 firsts from 79 mounts during the 15-day (counting the Breeders' Cup) session. It is his first riding title at Del Mar. The top trainer was Phil D'Amato who registered 15 firsts from 52 starters. It is his first fall training championship, but his third at the track overall.

Racing will return to Del Mar next July 22 for the track's 83rd summer season.

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Eligible horses will receive a $5,000 bonus as well as purse money 35 percent above their allotted purse percentage for one start. Horses that become eligible at the 2021 Del Mar Fall Meet will also be eligible for Ship & Win bonuses for their first start at Santa Anita's Winter/Spring Meet.

The $5,000 bonus will also apply to any stakes horse that meets Ship & Win eligibility guidelines, but those horses will not be eligible for the 35 percent purse increase.

“All of us have been gratified at the success of the Ship & Win program this year, at both Del Mar and here at Santa Anita,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary. “We're certainly hoping to continue to attract more out-of-state horses this winter and spring and given the significant amount of money available, this has certainly incentivized our horsemen to go out and procure additional racing prospects.”

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“This is a great enticement to out-of-state owners and horsemen to bring their horses here in advance of Del Mar,” said Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Merz. “People around the country know Santa Anita and Del Mar provide world class training and racing opportunities.  We've very happy the folks at Del Mar and with the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) recognize the importance of this comprehensive approach to attracting new horses.”

Merz added that any new horses participating in the Del Mar 'Ship & Win' program will also be eligible for the Santa Anita Sunshine Bonus, which will again be offered at the track's upcoming Autumn Meet, which opens Oct. 1.

For additional information, call the Santa Anita Racing Office at (626) 574-6452.

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“The Ship & Win program has been essential to Del Mar's racing program and for racing in California,” said Del Mar's racing secretary David Jerkens. “Our local owners and trainers are our biggest backers of the program, providing over 70% of the runners. Doubling the bonus levels this year has got people really excited. My phone is ringing off the hook.”

Del Mar, working in conjunction with Santa Anita to attract runners to Southern California, will extend purse benefits to a horse which makes its initial Ship & Win start in either May or June at Santa Anita. The same horse may make up to two starts during that period and still have its purse benefits extended through the Del Mar summer meet.

Ship & Win Rules:

• Horses must have made their last start outside of California
• Horses cannot have raced in California in the past 12 months
• First-time starters are not eligible
• $4,000 first-race starter fee to all qualifying horses 50% purse bonus for dirt finishers first through fifth; 40% purse bonus for turf finishers; bonuses stay the same for subsequent starts at the meet

• If a Ship & Win horse is acquired (or claimed) after its initial S & W start, the original owner earns purse bonuses for subsequent outings through the summer meet
• Stakes runners (including overnight stakes) are not eligible for the 50% or 40% purse supplement, but will receive the $4,000 starter bonus

Del Mar's 31-day summer meet concludes Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6. For more information, click here.

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