Los Alamitos Race Course
CURRENT WEATHER
- Overcast
- Temp: 62 °F
Contact Info
4961 Katella Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA, 90720
Phone: (714) 820-2800
Before there were Ducks and Angels in Orange County, California, there was Quarter Horse racing at Los Alamitos Race Course. What started out as informal match races on the Vessels Ranch property in 1947 has grown into year-round Quarter Horse racing at the North Orange County track. Instead of neighbor against neighbor match races, horses at Los Alamitos annually race for purses that total a national Quarter Horse record of over $20 million.
Los Alamitos Race Course is the home of four races worth $1 million or more. The four million dollar races are the Ed Burke Million Futurity, Golden State Million Futurity, Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and the Los Alamitos Super Derby. Other major events include the California Breeders Champions Night held in July and the AQHA Bank of America Racing Challenge held during odd-numbered years. The Ed Burke Million, Golden State Million and Los Alamitos Two Million also make up the $1 million Los Alamitos Cash Bonanza, which serve as the track’s version of the Triple Crown. Any horse sweeping those three important futurities will earn an additional $1 million cash bonus. Los Alamitos Race Course’s most famous race is the $750,000 Champion of Champions, which is regarded as Quarter Horse racing’s most prestigious race for older horses. The winner of the Champion of Champions is usually named the American Quarter Horse Racing Association’s World Champion. Over the year, famous horsemen like Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas have used Los Alamitos Race Course as a stomping ground before establishing high-powered Thoroughbred racing operations.
Los Alamitos Race Course conducts racing on a Friday through Sunday basis for a total of 151 nights of racing each year. The premiere place to enjoy the races is the lavish Vessels Club, the track’s $10 million glass enclosed restaurant. In addition to Quarter Horse racing, Los Alamitos also hosts Thoroughbred racing at the 4 ½ furlong distance.
