It has long been a tradition that opening day for Santa Anita's winter/spring meet is held on December 26. While there have been exceptions to this over time, this has been the norm for well over a half-century.

This now established tradition was still in its early years by the close of 1960, but that season's opening day was destined to tower over its predecessors and followers in one way.

Back in those days, simulcasting did not exist. The Dodgers had just made their way from Brooklyn, and the Lakers were new residents in the Southland after several years in Minneapolis. The Angels would not debut for a few more months, so Thoroughbred racing was the sport to follow in the Southland. And Santa Anita was the place to see it every winter.

The wait had been a lengthy one, too. Autumn racing in Arcadia would not happen for another nine years when Oak Tree came along, and Hollywood Park's autumn meet was still more than twenty years away. After the action at Pomona in September, there was a hiatus until the last part of December. So, it was clear racing was welcomed back by the consistently large opening day crowds at Santa Anita.

As the fans filed into the legendary racetrack, they saw eight races kick off the new season. The big winner among the jockeys that day was none other than Bill Shoemaker, who was the lone rider to score two wins as he began what turned out to be his eleventh straight season as Santa Anita's riding champion. One of those wins came in the day's feature, the Palos Verdes Handicap. Shoemaker rode Ole Fols in that one, and the two had to overcome a claim of foul before celebrating.

Another familiar sight was part of the festivities. John Longden took the nightcap piloting Oh So Iron to collect another of his many wins at Santa Anita. Also getting their pictures taken that day were fellow local regulars like Alex Maese, George Taniguchi and Ismael Valenzuela. Another well known name was none other than Eddie Arcaro. Though he did not win a race, the rider called "The Master" was no stranger to Santa Anita. The fact he was there with fellow Hall of Famers Longden and Shoemaker really showed the importance and prestige of riding at Santa Anita.

But there were more well known names that enjoyed victory that day. Keith Stucki, who would later become the trainer of the great California-bred Ancient Title, captured the opener with Easy Four. Farrell Jones, another successful trainer in the Southland, won the next race with Regular One. Mesh Tenney, conditioner of the outstanding Cal-bred Swaps, guided Sound Wave to the win in the fourth race for Rex Ellsworth.

There were a few high profile horses in action as well. The Cal-bred T.V. Lark, already a multiple stakes winner, went unplaced in the Palos Verdes. But the 1961 season would be a terrific one for him, as he would be crowned Champion Male Turf Horse. Divine Comedy, who had started in the Kentucky Derby that May and would finish out his career with several stakes victories, also finished off the board in the Palos Verdes. Earlier in the card, Windy Sands, who would later become the sire of Cal-bred Crystal Water, finished fourth in an allowance contest. Windy Sands would put together a career highlighted by stakes wins and placings. Interestingly, Windy Sands and T.V. Lark would share another link along with being on this particular opening day card, for T.V. Lark would become the damsire of Crystal Water.

The day proved to be a fun one for horseplayers, too. Only two favorites would get the winners' purse in their respective races. The others paid well over $10 to win on a $2 ticket.

Opening day for Santa Anita in 1960 proved to have a little bit of everything. But by the end of the day, the track executives could find one more reason to smile. One year earlier, Santa Anita celebrated a record for opening day attendance with 66,681 fans showing up on Huntington Drive to be a part of the new season. Based on past history, everyone knew there would be another large gathering, but it turned out to be more than that.

After the nightcap finished and the first day of the new season was in the books, Santa Anita had topped its opening day attendance from the previous year with just over 71,000 taking in the races. That record was never topped during the subsequent years of the twentieth century, and it still stands in the present. But more than anything, that winter afternoon in 1960 stands as a truly historical day in the rich timeline of California Thoroughbred racing.