All data was manually compiled and is subject to human error.
Introduction
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship is a 6 furlong race over the dirt for 3-year-olds and up at Santa Anita Park. First run in 1985, it’s currently a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race. The race was run over the All Weather surface from 2007 to 2010.
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Below is a look at data from a variety of angles to see what has produced winners in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship from 1991-2018.
Charts are interactive, hover over or touch bars and lines for more information.
Odds are shown as listed in the results charts. Hover-over or touch each bar for $2 payout.
Outliers Saratoga Gambler (1994 – $34.70 odds) and Pt’s Grey Eagle odds (2004 – $29.80 odds) have been excluded from the graph below to allow for an overall better visualization. Outliers are included in the averages and medians.
Year
$1 Odds
1991
2.4
1992
1.9
1993
6
1995
3.8
1996
3.6
1997
5.7
1998
5
1999
3.2
2000
0.3
2001
3.6
2002
4.5
2003
8.8
2005
2.1
2006
0.4
2007
2.4
2008
5.8
2009
1.2
2010
3.6
2011
3.3
2012
7.6
2013
4.6
2014
7.4
2015
2.1
2016
0.5
2017
0.9
2018
1
$1 Odds
1991-2018
Average $1 Odds:
$5.50
Median $1 Odds:
$3.60
2010-2018
Average $1 Odds:
$3.40
Median $1 Odds:
$3.30
1991-2018
Average $2 Win:
$13.10
Median $2 Win:
$9.20
2010-2018
Average $2 Win:
$8.80
Median $2 Win:
$8.60
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Bettors’ Choice and Field Size 1991-2018
Bettors’ Choice is the ranked order of the field by final odds: The favorite is the first choice, the second favorite is the second choice and so on. For example, 1991 winner Frost Free was 2nd choice in a 7 horse field.
Year
Bettors' Choice
Field Size
1991
2
7
1992
1
9
1993
5
8
1994
8
8
1995
3
6
1996
3
5
1997
3
7
1998
3
8
1999
2
8
2000
1
4
2001
2
6
2002
3
6
2003
5
6
2004
7
8
2005
1
7
2006
1
6
2007
2
5
2008
4
6
2009
1
10
2010
4
7
2011
2
6
2012
5
7
2013
3
7
2014
3
5
2015
2
5
2016
1
5
2017
1
6
2018
1
6
Field Size
1991-2018
Average Choice of Winner:
2.82
Average Field Size:
6.54
Average Favorite Finish Position:
2.54
2010-2018
Average Choice of Winner:
2.44
Average Field Size:
5.89
Average Favorite Finish Position:
2.44
Fav
8
20
19
9
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Winning Running Styles 1991-2018
To read the charts below, 0 on the vertical axis is the lead, any distance behind the leader is below 0 and any distance above 0 is the amount the leader is ahead of the next horse. At the bottom are the points of call as they correspond to the charts. Each line is a horse, and you can hover over the point of call for each line to see more information about the horse.
For example, if you hover over the bottom-most line in the first chart, at the 1/2 mile mark you’ll see that 2015 winner Wild Dude was 13 lengths behind the leader at this point in the race.
Position at the 1/2 mile mark
Speed:
In the lead
Presser/Stalker:
Between .1 and 3 lengths off leader
Off the pace:
Between 3 and 6 lengths off the leader
Deep closer:
More than 6 lengths off the leader
Running Style
Deep Closer
Off the Pace
Stalker/Presser
Speed
3
7
12
6
Speed
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship has been predominately won by stalker/pressers (42.8%) since 1991. In the last ten years that trend has continued with stalker/pressers winning 60% of the time.
A closer look at winning running styles by decade.
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Winning Running Styles 1991-1999
The majority of Santa Anita Sprint Championship winners have come from Del Mar since 1991. It’s been no different over the last 10 years with 80% of the winners making their prior start at Del Mar. On average Santa Anita Sprint Championship winners come in fresh, approximately two months since their last start.
Track Last Raced
# of Winners
Del Mar
19
Bay Meadows
3
Arapaho
1
Fairplex
1
Golden Gate Fields
1
Santa Anita
1
Saratoga
1
Sha Tin
1
...
Days Since Last Race 1991-2018
Average Days Since Last Race:
65.71
Median Days Since Last Race:
56.5
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Winners Placing in Prior Race 1991-2018
Only 28.6% of winners won their prior start, while 82.1% ran in the money last out, finishing first, second or third. In the last 10 years 30% of winners won their prior start and all but one ran in the money.
Last Out
8
20
23
5
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Winners By Age 1991-2018
The majority of winners and starters since 1991 have been 4-year-olds. No 6-year-olds have won and there have been no starters older than 7-year-old in the time frame.
Age of Winner
# of Winners
3-year-olds
3
4-year-olds
7
5-year-olds
5
6-year-olds
8
7-year-olds
4
...
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Odds by Age 1991-2018
Numbers over 1 outperform expected value and numbers less than 1 underperform expected value. Learn more about how A/E ratio is calculated and how it should be interpreted.
While 4- and 6-year-olds have been the most frequent winners of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship since 1991, 6-year-olds have won much more frequently relative to their number of starts. 7-year-olds have the best win rate rate relative to their number of starts at 30.7%. 3-year-olds don’t enter often but have performed well relative to their odds.
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Multiple Winners & Run Backs 1991-2018
Roy H. (2017-2018) is only two-time winner in the time frame. A total of 26 individual starters have made more than one start in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship since 1991 for a total of 31 run back starts.
A run back is defined as a starter who made a prior start in the race. For example two-time winner Kona Gold first ran in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship in 1998 and finished 5th. He ran back in to finish 2nd in 1991, win 2000 and run 2nd again 2001.
Runback
5
26
13
18
Starters who have previously run in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship have not won often (16.1%) but have hit the board with more frequency (41.9%).
Santa Anita Sprint Championship Fillies and Mares 1991-2018
Fillies and mares have made only five starts in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship since 1991, but they have performed well. Track Gal won in 1995 and Kalookan Queen in 2002, both went off as third choice. A. P. Assay finished second in 1998 as second choice.
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship has generally been a formful race, especially in recent years.
The average winning odds since 1991 are 5.5-1 with a median of 3.6-1 and an average $13.10 payout for a $2 win ticket. Since 2010 those numbers have dipped to average odds of 3.4-1, median odds of 3.3-1 and $8.80 to win.
The winner on average has been almost 3rd choice (2.82) since 1991 and remained roughly the same since 2010. The favorite has an average finish position of 2nd (2.54) since 1991.
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship has been won primarily by stalkers/pressers (42.8%) since 1991. In the last ten years that trend has continued with stalker/pressers winning 60% of the time.
Winners have overwhelmingly come from Del Mar since 1991 and have come in fresh with an average of 65 days since their prior start. Field size has been a notch below the 2017 average of 7.7 starters with an average of 6.54 starters since 1991.
Winners have almost equally split between 4- and 6-year-olds but 6-year-olds have won more often relative to their number of overall starts. 3-year-olds don’t enter often but have performed well relative to their odds. Fillies and mares have also not entered often but have performed well.
Starters who have previously run in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship have not won often (16.1%) but have hit the board with more frequency (41.9%).
