Benson, Six Others Form Vet Team Overseeing Santa Anita

A highly respected team of equine veterinarians is set to serve the 2025-26 racing season at Santa Anita Park starting on Friday, Dec. 26 with opening day of the Classic Meet. Under the leadership of Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer of Santa Anita's parent company 1/ST Racing, a total of seven veterinarians will be on hand to oversee every aspect of training and racing at Santa Anita. Santa Anita will host a total of 78 race days from the start of the traditional Classic Meet until the end of the Hollywood Meet of June 14. In addition to hosting live racing, Santa Anita will also continue to serve as one of the largest training centers in the country. Each year, approximately 375,0000 training sessions are conducted at Santa Anita. Joining Benson on the Santa Anita veterinary staff are Dr. Laurie Bohannon, Senior Associate Veterinarian; Dr. Nolton Pattio, the official veterinarian appointed by the California Horse Racing Board; and Association Veterinarians Dr. Jay Deluhery, Dr. Tim Grande, Dr. Fernanda Machado and Dr. Michael Pirrone. "The Santa Anita Park Veterinary team includes doctors with significant equine veterinary experience and additional training beyond their veterinary degrees," Benson said. "Along with decades of racing experience, the team holds advanced degrees and training in equine surgery, farriery, biosecurity, and animal welfare, which has allowed them to improve the lives and safety of all horses at Santa Anita Park." Among the duties of the veterinary team is to provide physical examinations of every horse that is entered to race, as well as all horses that are scheduled to perform high-velocity exercise during morning training. "We will maintain a strong presence to help ensure continued industry-leading safety standards," Benson said. In addition to employing a top team of veterinarians, Santa Anita also boasts a state-of-the-art equine medical clinic in its stable area to aid with diagnosis and recovery. In recent years, the clinic has been upgraded to include such cutting-edge equipment as a standing equine PET scan machine, which was the first of its kind in the nation when unveiled; and a standing MRI machine. Both add to the array of diagnostic options available for owners and trainers at the clinic. For more information on the 2025-26 racing season at Santa Anita, please visit santaanita.com. There are a variety of ticket packages also available for opening weekend of the Classic Meet starting the day after Christmas.