The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced March 11 that Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, near Los Angeles, has earned reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance.

Since 1934, Santa Anita has showcased horse racing legends like Seabiscuit, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, John Henry, and Zenyatta. In addition to signature fixtures like the Santa Anita Handicap and Santa Anita Derby, “The Great Race Place” has hosted eight Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The Breeders’ Cup returns for a record ninth time this year, Nov. 4-5.

Saturday marks the 79th running of the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, also known as the Big ’Cap and long regarded as one of the world’s preeminent races for older horses on dirt.

Santa Anita’s reaccreditation was the culmination of a lengthy process that began with the track’s completion of an extensive written application and continued as the track hosted several meetings with alliance officials. An on-site review included inspections of all facets of the racing operations. Interviews were conducted with track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners, trainers, veterinarians, stewards, and regulators. The inspection team was comprised of James Cain, security expert and former chief of enforcement for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission; Jim Gates, racetrack operations consultant and former general manager of Churchill Downs; Ron Jensen, DVM, former equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board; Mike Kilpack, security and integrity consultant and past chairman of the Organization of Racetrack Investigators; and Steve Koch, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance