Calculating the prize money for 34 of the 35 graded stakes races at Santa Anita is pretty easy for jockeys anyway. Just look up the minimum winnings required in North America.
For a Grade 1 race, that’s $300,000. It’s $200,000 for a Grade 2 race and drops to $100,000 for a Grade 3 race.
Even the Santa Anita Derby, the only local exception, will pay out “only” $500,000 after offering $750,000 from 2021 to 2024. The current amount is half the prize money paid for the top three-year-old races at Gulfstream Park (Florida Derby) and Fairgrounds (Louisiana Derby), and only one-third of what Oaklawn Park pays for the Arkansas Derby.
Only five horses entered last year’s Santa Anita Derby, reducing the number of Kentucky Derby qualifying points available for the race. As a result, Baeza, who finished second to Journalism in the Prix Arcadia race, almost qualified for the Derby (he only qualified after a scratch on another horse and a third place finish).
The same goes for older horses, with Gulfstream offering $1 million and $500,000 turf races in addition to next month’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup. Oaklawn Park has six races worth at least $500,000 (two at $1.25 million), and Fair Grounds has three races worth between $250,000 and $500,000. There are no Grade 3 races with prize money less than $150,000 at these racetracks.
All of this makes it difficult for Santa Anita to attract marquee horses from those states, as purses are boosted by money from slot machines and casinos not available at California racetracks. However, Santa Anita increased the funding for the first race and allowance race this year.
