Nearby wildfire continues to affect racing and training

Santa Anita officials canceled workouts for the second time in three days on Thursday because of poor air quality caused by a massive wildfire in the mountains near the racetrack.

Air-quality issues are likely to persist through the weekend, government officials said. As of Thursday morning, the fire had spread to more than 50,000 acres and was only 3 percent contained.

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The air quality throughout Southern California has deteriorated in the last week. Some neighborhoods in the hills above the racetrack were under evacuation orders earlier this week that were later lifted, while several cities in the area are under less-stringent evacuation warnings.

Workouts were canceled Tuesday. There were 66 workouts on Wednesday. Thursday, exercise was limited to jogging and galloping. Trainers were notified via text before dawn of Thursday’s cancellation. If conditions permit, a substantial number of workouts are expected through the weekend.

Santa Anita was scheduled to open its autumn meeting Saturday, but canceled the Saturday and Sunday programs on Monday because of conditions caused by the fire. Opening day will be Sept. 25 for a 16-day meeting that runs through Oct. 25.

Santa Anita has rescheduled three stakes from this weekend to Sept. 25-27. There will be 12 stakes from Sept. 25-27, including 10 graded stakes. Track officials said earlier this week that additional races would be conducted through the meeting as a makeup for the lost days.

The fire began Sept. 6 as stables were relocating from Del Mar, and has affected training for more than a week.