The 2021 Thoroughbred racing calendar in Southern California will closely resemble schedules from 2014 through 2019, with racing at Los Alamitos in September, a two-month summer season preceded by an open week at Del Mar similar to this year, and the bulk of the racing dates at Santa Anita. During a California Horse Racing Board’s meeting on Thursday, Santa Anita was awarded dates from Dec. 23, 2020, to June 22, 2021, and Sept. 29 to Nov. 2. Los Alamitos will have three meetings from June 23 to July 6, Sept. 8-28, and Dec. 1-14. Del Mar was given dates from July 7 to Sept. 7 and Nov. 3-30. Del Mar will host the Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 5-6, 2021. The actual racing dates will be different than the dates awarded, with specific racing dates to be announced closer to the start dates of individual meetings. Santa Anita will start its 2020-21 winter-spring meeting on the traditional opening day on Dec. 26 and have its final day of racing on June 20. The track will have simulcast rights for a few days before and after the first and final days of race meetings. Similar schedules will be in place at other meetings through the year. Del Mar is likely to start its summer meeting on July 17, allowing a gap of approximately 13 days following the expected conclusion of the Los Alamitos summer meeting on July 4. Del Mar would conclude the summer meeting on Labor Day, Sept. 6. Los Alamitos will have a three-week Los Angeles County Fair meeting in September, although track officials asked for a three-week meeting in December. The board did not approve that request, leaving a gap of two weeks between the end of the 2021 Los Alamitos winter meeting on Dec. 12 and the start of the 2021-22 Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26. During the weeks without racing, Del Mar in July and Santa Anita in December will conduct simulcasting to accrue purse monies for those upcoming meetings. Los Alamitos is conducting five weeks of racing this year – a two-week summer meeting in late June and early July, and a forthcoming winter meeting from Dec. 4-20. Los Alamitos was not given racing days in September this year for the first time since the track was granted daytime Thoroughbred racing dates in 2014 after the closure of Hollywood Park in 2013. Santa Anita was allotted racing dates for most of September this year, but did not run on the weekend of Sept. 11-13 to allow a gap following the conclusion of the Del Mar summer meeting on Sept. 7 and did not run on the weekend of Sept. 18-20 because of the effect of fires in nearby mountains. The track opened the meeting on Sept. 25. In 2021, Los Alamitos will begin its three-week September meeting on the weekend of Sept. 10-12. Those are dates similar to what the track ran during that month from 2014 to 2019. The board approved the racing schedule at Golden Gate Fields through June 15, but did not discuss racing dates for the summer and fall fair circuit or the second half of 2021. It is not clear whether the county fairs will be operate amusements and associated events because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the Alameda County Fair meeting at Pleasanton conducted racing, but fair racing was not held at Ferndale, Fresno, Sacramento, or Santa Rosa. Some of those racing dates were transferred to Golden Gate Fields. For 2021, year-round racing was approved for the Los Alamitos evening meeting of Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds and two harness race meetings in Sacramento. The racing board approved a racing license for a nine-day winter meeting at Los Alamitos on Dec. 4-20 by a vote of 7-0, but not without scolding the track for a series of equine fatalities that occurred during the evening meeting in late spring and early summer. The racing board put the Los Alamitos evening meeting on a 10-day probation in July after the injuries. The track implemented a series of enhanced safety and greater veterinary oversight protocols, which received the support of the racing board by a vote of 6-0 on July 20. Racing board chairman Greg Ferraro said on Thursday that he was unsatisfied with the track’s safety record. “Los Alamitos came a long way after the hearing,” Ferraro said. “They have made some improvement. From the viewpoint of the board, you haven’t gone far enough. We’ll be looking closely at this meeting in December to predicate what the board will do going forward. “I want to make clear you need to keep working on it. We’re not satisfied with where we are.” Los Alamitos executive Jack Liebau said the protocols put in place for the evening meeting will be in place during the December Thoroughbred meeting. Track owner Ed Allred told the racing board the track “was getting a bit beat up on here” following the probationary period earlier this year, and said the track’s racing surface has been well received by owners and trainers. “No one is blaming the track at Los Alamitos,” Ferraro responded. “The problem is the conduct of trainers and veterinarians.”