all in Events / Travel

We’ve reached the unique point on the North American horse racing calendar where for one day no Thoroughbred tracks are operating – this Thursday, as the racing community along with everyone else celebrates the Christmas holiday. Several major tracks are right back at it on Friday, Dec. 26, but this year the traditional day-after-Christmas highlight, opening day at Santa Anita Park, will be postponed two days due to a forecast of heavy rain in southern California this week.

Attending the Global Symposium on Racing was one of the most meaningful and rewarding academic and professional experiences of my time in the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program (RTIP). The Symposium brought together leading experts, regulators, industry professionals, and students from across the horse racing industry, providing a unique opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world application.

Two qualifying points prep races for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve highlight the upcoming pre-Christmas weekend on the racing calendar, both set for Saturday, Dec. 20.

Esteemed writers Edward L. Bowen and Ray Kerrison and pioneering photographer Charles Christian “C. C.” Cook have been selected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor.

The upcoming weekend in horse racing is highlighted by an influential prep race for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in California and the opening of one of horse racing’s most popular tracks, Oaklawn Park.

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