Main track at Santa Anita to get more sand

Santa Anita plans to add sand to the main track to improve the balance of sand, clay, and silt, track president George Haines said on Friday.

Haines said tests have been conducted that will determine how much sand needs be added and that consultations are ongoing with trainers.

“We’ve had people talking with the horsemen right now and going over some tests that came in,” he said. “We’re looking at probably adding some sand very shortly. I’m not sure about the amount of sand. Some could be added after racing.”

Haines said the track added about 600 to 700 tons of sand in late January to replace material that washed away when more than 15 inches of rain fell in late December. Much of that was added after racing and on non-racing days. There was minimal rain through January, and no rain is forecast for the next week.

Last week, track officials considered closing the track on a non-racing day to conduct extensive maintenance to remix the surface, but eventually opted not to do so.