Santa Anita Park has altered training hours on its main track Monday and Tuesday in order to evaluate the track, it was announced late in the day Sunday. After an initial announcement on the track's Friday overnight sheet indicated that training was completely suspended over the surface on both days, the track later revised the schedule to open training from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday–while keeping the track completely closed for training on Tuesday.
“[The] main track will be closed for training beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday and all day Tuesday in order to fully evaluate sub-surface conditions such as moisture content and soil consistency,” the track said in a joint statement issued with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). “If the results of these efforts indicate the track is in prime condition, regularly scheduled training will resume Wednesday morning and live racing will proceed on Thursday.”
The move comes one day after a Saturday morning training session which saw two fatal injuries to racehorses, including GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Battle of Midway (Smart Strike). Sunday morning training was held as usual, with 173 horses working over the main track.
According to multiple reports surfacing later in the evening Sunday, the initial announcement was met with considerable push-back from local horsemen with horses scheduled to work Monday, resulting in the decision to open the track on a limited basis.
Santa Anita cited the fact that the track has received 11 1/2 inches of rain and near-record cold temperatures in the month of February as a driving force behind the decision to evaluate the surface before warmer temperatures return in the spring.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
