closure of Santa Anita

by Armen Antonian, Ph.D. Horse racing is stuck: stuck in the winter of 2019. Stuck at my home track at Santa Anita. That Santa Anita winter meet saw 37 horses euthanized and the meet stopped for a time due to horse safety concerns. California Senator Dianne Feinstein admonished the track publicly and Governor Gavin Newsom called horse racing "archaic."  There was real fear among Santa Anita officials for the continuation of horse racing in California. The events at Santa Anita were a trauma that reverberated around the U.S. racing world....

Santa Anita's backstretch community, led by such trainers as Bob Baffert and Doug O'Neill, descended upon downtown Los Angeles Tuesday morning outside the LA County Board of Supervisors meeting building to put a human face to calls for the resumption of live racing at the Arcadia track. Around 50-60 people attended the demonstration. In a speech captured on video--and posted online--Baffert said that he'd like to see racing open again to help the families who work so hard on the backstretch and who are following proper social-distancing protocols. The board...