Benoit Photo
Autumn Meet At Santa Anita
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Santa Anita Park has a top collection of racing officials set to lead its 2025 Autumn Meet, which opens on Friday, Sept. 26 and runs for five weeks through Sunday, Oct. 26. Highlighting the 16-day stand is a robust stakes schedule that includes seven “Win and You’re In” qualifiers for this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
Set to return for another season in the Santa Anita stewards’ stand are California Horse Racing Board-appointees Grant Baker, Luis Jauregui and Kim Sawyer. The Safety Steward is David Neusch, who will also rotate into the stewards’ stand on an as-needed basis throughout the meet.
For Baker, this is his 28th year as a steward. The California native first served in Idaho from 1997-2000, then returned to his home state the following year to continue his stewarding duties. Since his initial stint at Santa Anita in 2015, Baker has been a fixture in the stewards’ stand in recent years.
“It truly is an honor to officiate at such an iconic racetrack as Santa Anita,” Baker said. “Santa Anita showcases some of the country’s best horses, best jockeys and best trainers in what is just a wonderful setting. Looking out at those mountains never gets old.”
Sawyer is a former jockey and trainer with more than two decades of stewarding experience. She began her career in 2001 at Thistledown, where she was noted as the first female steward in the state of Ohio. Sawyer has been based in California since 2005.
Jauregui is a former jockey who rode more than 8,000 races from 1988 to 2006. In 2009, the CHRB appointed Jauregui to the role of Safety Steward, which was a newly created position and the first of its kind in the nation. He has since been a regular in the Santa Anita stewards’ stand for over a decade.
Continuing to head up the Racing Department is Jason Egan, who was elevated to the role of Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary in January 2023. Prior to his current position, the former trainer had been Santa Anita’s racing coordinator since 2020.
Joining Egan in the racing office are current Racing Coordinator Steve Martinelli, Assistant Racing Secretary Zachary Soto and Stakes Coordinator James Kasparoff.
Martinelli was named Racing Coordinator in August 2023 after previously serving as Racing Secretary at Golden Gate Fields. Soto is a former trainer and longtime fixture in California racing offices, while Kasparoff is also a former trainer who has been Santa Anita’s stakes coordinator since the fall of 2018.
Set for another year as Clerk of Scales is Kevin Colosi, who will once again be aided by longtime Assistant Clerk of Scales Charles McCaul. The Clerk of the Course is Linda Ramirez; Jennifer Paige is the Horse Identifier; and the Horseshoe Inspector is Victor Tovar.
Jay Slender will be at his usual post as Starter, Dane Nelson will again serve as Timer, and Horse Racing Nation will set the morning line.
The Patrol Judges are Jesus Calvillo Jr. and Randy Valdez, with Calvillo Jr. also set to serve as Paddock Judge. The three Placing Judges are veterans Brice Blanc, Karen Denovel and Bob Moreno.
Tickets for Opening Day and the rest of the 2025 Santa Anita Autumn Meet can now be purchased at santaanita.com. You can also get more information by calling (626) 574-RACE.
