The El Conejo Handicap was an American
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
held annually on January 1 at
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...
in
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of t ...
. A
Grade III sprint race open to horses age four and older, it is contested on
Pro-Ride synthetic dirt over a distance of five and a half
furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
s.
In 2000, the El Conejo Handicap was run in January and again in December and in 1984 it was raced in two divisions. There was no race run in 1987.
Records
Speed record:
* 1:01.27 - In Summation (2008)
Most wins:
* 2 - To B. Or Not (1981, 1982)
* 2 -
Kona Gold
Kona Gold (March 19, 1994 – September 25, 2009) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.
Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside LaGrange, Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland Sept ...
(1999, 2003)
* 2 - Freespool (2000 (2x))
* 2 - In Summation (2008, 2009)
Most wins by a
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
:
* 7 -
Chris McCarron
Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years ...
(1982, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2000 (2x)
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 2 -
Ronald W. Ellis (1981, 1982)
* 2 -
Robert J. Frankel
Robert Julian Frankel (July 9, 1941 – November 16, 2009) was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called "one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing."Privman, Jay"Robert Frankel Dies ...
(1984, 1998)
* 2 -
Bob Baffert
Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...
(1994, 1997)
* 2 -
Bruce Headley
Bruce Edmund Headley (14 February 1934 – 15 January 2021) was a Thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.
Biography
Involved with horse racing since his teens, Headley worked as an exercise rider from 1949 until taking out his trainers license in 1 ...
(1999, 2003)
* 2 -
Ted H. West (2000 (2x))
* 2 -
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935, in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a retired American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his h ...
(2002, 2006)
* 2 -
Douglas F. O'Neill
Douglas F. O'Neill (born May 24, 1968) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and resides in California, where he trained the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, I'll Have Another, and 2016 Kentu ...
(2005, 2007)
* 2 -
Christophe Clement
Christophe Clement (November 1, 1965 – May 25, 2025) was an American Thoroughbred horse trainer, who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist.
Racing background
Clement initially acquired his training skills from his father, Miguel, a lead ...
(2008, 2009)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 - Bohm Stables, Inc. (1981, 1982)
* 2 - Irwin & Andrew Molasky et al. (1999, 2003)
* 2 - Desperado Stables, Inc. (2000 (2x))
* 2 - Waterford Stable (2008, 2009
Winners
Notes
{{reflist
References
The 2009 El Conejo Handicap at the NTRA
Horse races in California
Santa Anita Park
Flat horse races for four-year-olds
Discontinued horse races in the United States