ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita may add Friday programs on Feb. 24 and April 21 to the racing schedule in coming months to compensate for two days of racing lost to inclement weather over the weekend, track officials said on Sunday. The track has already carded an additional day of racing on Friday this week. The track has lost three days of racing to rain this month, including Jan. 1. Racing was not originally scheduled for Feb. 24 when the calendar was announced last month. Racing is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 20, the Presidents Day holiday, the final card of a four-day racing weekend. At times, four-day racing weeks can put a strain on the number of race-ready horses at Santa Anita. The proposed April 21 program will be the first day of racing since April 9. The track is planning a weekend without racing on April 14-16 in an effort to rest the horse population shortly after the midway point of the marathon winter-spring meeting that began on Dec. 26 and concludes on June 18. Track general manager Nate Newby said dates will be added in coming months, pending evaluations on the number of race-ready horses. :: Get Santa Anita Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day.  “We’re hoping to add at least one day,” Newby said. “We’ll run some extra races.” The forecast for the upcoming weekend is favorable for the three-day racing week Friday through Sunday. Racing was canceled on Saturday last Thursday after assessing the forecast. The track sustained more than 1.5 inches of rain on Saturday. “We wanted no part of running,” Newby said. “It hit right in the middle of when we would have been running.” California tracks are discouraged from racing amid severe weather. The California Horse Racing Board enacted regulations in late 2020 stating that in the event of significant rain that results in a sealed or floated main track that a track superintendent must certify that the surface is safe for racing and that a unanimous decision has been reached by track officials, a representative of the Jockeys’ Guild, the racing board’s safety steward, and the board of stewards. Racing was canceled on Monday this week last Friday out of concern over weather and the number of horses available for a program consisting only of main-track races. Approximately an inch of rain fell in the Santa Anita area on Sunday evening and early Monday. The rain has limited turf racing. The course was used for two races last Friday, but was not used on Sunday. For this Friday’s program, five races are scheduled for turf. Santa Anita has recorded 13.7 inches of rain since Dec. 26, according to director of racing Chris Merz. In the last few years, there has been negligible rain in January because of drought conditions, although one day was canceled in January 2021 because of excessive rain. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.  Whip suspensions Jockeys Edwin Maldonado, Umberto Rispoli, and Ramon Vazquez have been suspended one day and fined $250 for using their whips seven times in recent races, one more than the permitted limit. Rispoli is suspended Friday, while Vazquez will serve his penalty on Saturday. Maldonado is suspended on Sunday. Through Sunday’s program, Maldonado was second in the standings with six wins, far below clear leader Juan Hernandez with 17 wins. Rispoli was tied for third with five wins, while Vazquez was tied for seventh with four wins. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.