CHRB cancels special meeting on Santa Anita dates

A special meeting scheduled for Friday at which the California Horse Racing Board had been set to discuss the potential to move race dates from Santa Anita has been canceled, the racing board announced Monday.

Instead, the board announced, the Santa Anita discussion will be part of the agenda for the board's regularly scheduled monthly meeting on April 18. That meeting, like the one scheduled for Friday, will take place at Santa Anita.

Ten days are required to post an agenda item for a board meeting, so Monday was the deadline for this change.

The cancellation of the meeting on Friday and the postponement of the Santa Anita dates discussion comes on the heels of a successful weekend of racing highlighted by the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Oaks, and Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday.

Santa Anita had a rash of equine fatalities earlier this season, but has had an improved safety record since the weather became more favorable, former track superintendent Dennis Moore returned to consult on the surface, fewer races were run per day, and other protocols related to medication and veterinary oversight were enacted.