Monday, 16 July 2012: Santa Anita Park has honoured a select group of modern day champions with name changes for 15 stakes races including six Grade 1 events.
The name changes begin with the 2012 Autumn Meet that starts on September 28 and applies to races that had been identified with the Oak Tree Racing Association's meet formerly held at the California track .
"This has been an important process for all of us involved with live racing here at Santa Anita," Rick Hammerle, Santa Anita Vice President of Racing, said.
"We did a lot of research and tried hard to make sure each name had a tangible meaning, either geographically, historically or culturally.”
Among the champions honoured with race names are Zenyatta, Goldikova, Awesome Again, John Henry and Lava Man, each having forged an indelible racing link to Santa Anita during their careers.
Among the G1 races to be renamed are the Norfolk Stakes (new name Front Runner Stakes); Goodwood Stakes (Awesome Again Stakes); Yellow Ribbon Stakes (Rodeo Drive Stakes); Lady's Secret Stakes (Zenyatta Stakes} and Oak Leaf Stakes (Chandelier Stakes).
A number of the renamed stakes will serve as preps for the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in November.
