LOS ANGELES _ Belinda Stronach, by any measuring stick, is one of the most powerful people in horse racing. As president and chairman of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, Golden Gate and tracks in Florida and Maryland, she runs the family business and has taken it on herself to try and remake the struggling sport. Stronach, 52, is not unfamiliar with the spotlight having been a Member of Parliament in Canada from 2004 to 2008. She was elected as a conservative and then re-elected as a liberal, so she is not afraid to go her own way.
Stronach, who does not grant many media interviews, sat down with The LA Times for 30 minutes recently at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore to discuss the future of Santa Anita and horse racing. She was equal parts confident, charming and cautious but more than anything stayed on the points she wanted to make. The interview is edited for brevity and clarity.
