Oak Tree Players Have Some New Wagering Options Starting Today

The difference between this and other recent Oak Tree racing seasons is that it will be easier for Southland horseplayers to bet.

When Oak Tree’s 23rd meeting opens at Santa Anita today, bettors can go to Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos to play the ponies, under new legislation that added those sites to an off-track network already in place.

The players may be happy, not having to drive long distances to reach Santa Anita, but race track executives are wary. They’re hoping that the off-track business compensates for the inevitable bodies that will be lost at the track. When racing is at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Los Alamitos will be part of the off-track network.

The Oak Tree season is important for dozens of horses that have Breeders’ Cup potential, starting with today’s Sunny Slope Stakes for 2-year-olds. The favorite is Bag, who broke his maiden by 16 lengths at Del Mar, then won the Barretts Juvenile at Fairplex Park on Sept. 19.

Bag will be ridden by David Flores, who won seven stakes and 41 other races at the 19-day Fairplex meeting that ended Monday. Flores broke the record for total victories by 10 and finished 19 winners ahead of the next jockey in the standings.

Post time at Santa Anita will be 1 p.m. until Oct. 27, when it switches to 12:30 p.m. The 32-day season ends Nov. 11, with racing Wednesday through Sunday, plus two Mondays, Oct. 14 and Nov. 11.