California Race Tracks List

Santa Anita. Del Mar. Golden Gate Fields. These are some of the most storied horse racing tracks in North America, and display the embarrassment of riches California racing fans have on offer for live and off track wagering. In addition to top thoroughbred action, California is also home to some of the best Quarter Horse racing in the country, and a variety of county fairs offer short and action-packed race meets.

Top Horse Race Tracks in California

The top track in California is “The Great Race Place”, Santa Anita Park, but there are plenty of other venues for horse racing fans including Del Mar, Fairplex, Fresno, Golden Gate and Los Alamitos.

Santa Anita Park

In October, the racing world will once again focus on Santa Anita Park as it hosts the Breeders' Cup World Championships for the seventh time. Home of the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Handicap, with the closing of Hollywood Park, Santa Anita offers more live racing dates than ever before.

Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar could be the most beautiful race track in the United States. Beauty doesn’t guarantee victory, but it helps when you lose! Del Mar also runs a number of important prep races for the Breeders’ Cup.

Golden Gate Fields

Golden Gate Fields is one of the few tracks in the world with a Tapeta surface. Tapeta, created by Michael Dickinson, makes speed biases a moot point. Legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker won his very first race at Golden Gate, and the infield features a plaque in his honor.

Los Alamitos Race Course

One of the most important quarter horse race tracks in the nation, maybe the most important, is Los Alamitos. The Champion of Champions, a $1 million Quarter Horse event, is run annually at Los Alamitos.