In case you’re wondering what swung the choice of Santa Anita Park racetrack over Galway Downs to host the 2028 Olympic equestrian competitions, comments from LA 28 Project Director Reynold Hoover may make the decision easier to understand.
As reported by Inside the Games, the retired Army lieutenant general explained the thought pattern behind where all competitions for 2028 sports will be held.
“Some zones are compact, others quite spread out,” Hoover noted.
“We’ve deliberately avoided a single-venue mindset.”
“This departure from Olympic gigantism is rooted not only in International Olympic Committee policy, which favors sustainability, but also in the practical need to deliver the Games within a private funding model,” Inside the Games pointed out.
Hoover observed that the Paris 2024 Games “served as a live testing ground for the concept of temporary, high-impact venues. Paris leaned into the spectacular, staging competitions in iconic settings like the Eiffel Tower and the Alexandre III Bridge.”
Visually stunning, yes, but, as Hoover observed in Inside the Games, logistically complex. Many of these pop-up sites required not just seating, but entire support ecosystems: catering facilities, broadcast zones, warm-up areas and secure perimeters.
“There’s a heavy price to pay for that kind of visual romance,” Hoover admitted, acknowledging that “replicating such magnificence in Los Angeles would come with significant cost. In keeping with its renewed sustainability doctrine, the IOC encourages host cities to prioritize existing venues. The real challenge involved selecting the right spaces and striking deals with their owners.”
In that context, it’s easier to understand why the proposed equestrian site of Galway Downs in Temecula, which is nearly 85 miles from LA, was dropped and replaced with Santa Anita, about 18 more convenient miles from Los Angeles.
So Santa Anita will be the venue, just as it was for the 1984 Games. Well, almost just as it was; eventing’s cross-country phase was held off-site on a golf course 41 years ago, but the current Olympic regulations call for every part of a sport to be held at the same venue.
The choice was announced April 15, days after Galway Downs was dropped from consideration. Click here to read our story that stated Santa Anita was the likely choice.
Other issues also prompted the switch. Galway Downs would have needed millions of dollars in improvements to host the Games. Also, there were concerns that inland Temecula in July would be extremely hot, a worry with horse welfare at the forefront.
“Santa Anita Park will be a spectacular venue for the LA28 Olympic equestrian events,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
Joe Fargis, the 1984 Olympic double gold medalist, with Touch of Class center stage at Santa Anita 41 years ago. (Tish Quirk photo)
“The FEI has very fond memories of Santa Anita, which had hosted the equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games. The venue is set to offer a breathtaking stage for all the Olympic equestrian competitions and the proximity to LA City will undoubtedly attract many spectators to Santa Anita. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with LA28 to deliver spectacular equestrian events at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.”
Derek Braun, who runs the Split Rock Jumping Tour, put on a very successful 5-star grand prix and national competition at Santa Anita in November 2024.
“Obviously, having the 5-star there last year, I would think contributed to greatly to everybody’s confidence in that Santa Anita was absolutely more than capable of producing the Olympics again there,” Derek said.
He called the 1/ST Racing team at Santa Anita, “One of the most professional, largest, accomplished event companies in existence already. I think they’re the right team for the job. Hopefully, I can be a part of it in some way.”
This November, Split Rock is ramping up what it does at Santa Anita, Derek said. His tour will be putting on 3-star and then 5-star show jumping two weeks in a row, which will give him even more familiarity with the facility
U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO Bill Moroney said, “We have the utmost confidence in the LA28 Organizing Committee, and we anticipate exceptional equestrian sport will take place at this special legacy venue from the 1984 Olympic Games. We are also extremely pleased that the IOC has confirmed the athlete quotas across the disciplines for 2028 and they remain unchanged from 2024.”
The crowd that packed the stands at Santa Anita in 1984 watched such legendary athletes as eventing Olympic gold medalist Mark Todd of New Zealand on Charisma.
Santa Anita, which has hosted racing’s Breeders Cup, is the track where the great racehorse Seabiscuit won his last race in 1940. The facility also hosts a CSI3* as well as a FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifier CSI5*-W, which this year will take place in November.
Santa Anita covers 320 acres and has a grandstand seating 26,000. The track infield area, which resembles a park with picnic tables and large trees, can accommodate a crowd of 50,000. The Park has 61 barns that can house more than 2,000 horses.
