When people think of horse racing, they don’t necessarily move immediately to thoughts of Los Angeles. There is a sort of fast-moving quality to LA that seems largely distinct from the more old-fashioned, and yes, often quite blue-collar, world of horse racing.
You might be surprised to learn that there is a vibrant culture rooted in horse racing that continues to influence Los Angeles communities. In this article, we take a robust look at how the game of kings is played out in the land of angels.
Horse Racing Is Still Huge
First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that horse racing is a much bigger sport than many people realize. It has a global market valuation of around $180 billion.
Around 20 million people in the world tune in every year to watch the Kentucky Derby. Even right now, many people are preparing for the next legs of the Triple Crown and reading up on the 2026 Belmont Stakes betting guide. It’s a very active culture.
Los Angeles has been home to multiple venues over the years, though the racing landscape has changed several times, with closures of vintage tracks and the opening of venues that cater to the next generation of LA-based horse racing fans.
Welcome to Santa Anita Racetrack
Santa Anita is, beyond any real doubt, the face of LA racing. It is an old track, noted as both a beautiful venue and a historic one.
Santa Anita Park is tucked away near the mountains and provides stunning scenic views, as well as a genuinely compelling slate of events that attracts people from all over the world.
See you at Hollywood Park
Hollywood Park Racetrack was a significant component of the LA racing scene for many years.
There’s even an entire alt-rock album written about it, by The Airborne Toxic Event.
Gone but not forgotten, Hollywood Park was closed and subsequently redeveloped into the stadium district. Nevertheless, it remains a genuinely meaningful relic in the world of LA racing.
If you’re reading this now and hearing of Hollywood Park for the first time, it means you already missed it, but the legacy lives on.
Winning at Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack is coastal and a popular and consequently widely visited destination for summer racing.
It is not as noted for a single marquee event, but instead draws people who are interested in taking in a race while also experiencing other aspects of the vibrant Del Mar community.
It is known for its beauty as well as its consistently satisfying race-day entertainment.
What Makes L.A. Racing Unique?
Los Angeles has a genuinely unique concentration of racetrack venues. It’s not a centralised hub the way Kentucky is, where horse activity is a primary local economic driver, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people employed by L.A. horse racing.
There’s also some cross-cultural pollination in the form of celebrity participation and, in certain cases, ownership.
There’s also a weather-related benefit. L.A. is, after all, famous for its steady temperatures year-round. While Kentucky is preparing for a harsh winter, the L.A. racing season is still going strong.
The offer on the table is not necessarily rooted entirely in the quality of competition. This, by the way, is not at all a dig on the quality of races available. It’s just to say that the people who make pilgrimages out to Louisville to visit Churchill Downs may not be the same audience. That’s ok.
There have been challenges over the years, some of them strictly economic. For example, Hollywood Park Racetrack was more valuable as a development opportunity than it was as a racetrack.
In areas like L.A., where real estate is a genuinely precious commodity, that’s always a risk factor. Nevertheless, fans continue to show up at a high level.
LA Racing In A Nutshell
If you want to understand how and when to take advantage of the LA racing season, it’s best to understand what each park does best.
Santa Anita Park tends to be most active in the spring and the fall, whereas Del Mar Racetrack, with its vibrant summer culture, gets busy when things heat up.
Both venues provide a satisfying experience, and they have the benefit of being so visually distinct that they are very much worth separate exploration.
Here’s the bottom line: if you’re interested in horse racing and living in or near the Los Angeles area, you have some homework ahead of you. Don’t worry, it’s fun. Check out these two historic and exciting parks; you’ll be sure to have a good time, regardless of whether or not your horses win.
