Browse Items (13 total)

This is an oral history interview with Anastasia Arciniega, a hot-walker at Santa Anita Park. She mostly speaks about her current job and the tasks involved. Of interest is her childhood experiences with horses.

This photograph depicts two workout riders being led to the track by grooms. Most horses have a strict training regiment and go out nearly every morning to gallop, sprint, or walk. Assistant trainers and racetrack "clockers" watch and time their…

This photograph depicts a morning on the backside of the Del Mar Racetrack. This particular photograph was taken during the Pacific Coast Classic in 2014. In the background are horses attached to an automatic walker. In the foreground, hot walkers…

Backside Stories is an online oral history project that endeavors to document the stories of backside workers at Santa Anita Park in California.

This is an oral history interview with Rey Solis Jr. He was born in Panama City, Panama and immigrated with his family to Los Angeles, California when he was seven years old. He worked as a groom and hot-walker at Santa Anita Park before eventually…

This photograph depicts a groom walking the horse back to the barn area after exercise, a race, or a practice turn around the paddock area.

This photographs depicts the beginning of a horse race at Santa Anita Park on Santa Anita Handicap day. Included in this photo is the gate and gate workers in blue. The gate workers are beginning to take away the gate and smooth the grass for the…

These two photographs depict different areas of the backside. The barn areas are to the west of the grandstand and houses all horses racing during a specific race meet. Some barns are rented out by owners or trainers and branded with their logos.

This newspaper article is related to the October 1985 INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) raids that occurred overnight at Santa Anita Park. This paper speculates that almost 170 undocumented immigrants were taken into custody and either…

This photograph looks out onto the main track at Santa Anita Park, north of the grandstand. It depicts the gate out of which the thoroughbreds will begin the race. Gate workers and escorts are decked in the Breeder's Cup purple jackets.
This…