Numbers say Santa Anita track is safer

ARCADIA, Calif. – With the wet weather that compromised Santa Anita’s meeting now in the rearview mirror, new protocols put in place regarding horse welfare, and with the main track playing slow but safe, Santa Anita’s safety record over the past 3 1/2 weeks has greatly improved from earlier in the meet.

The track last weekend had what may have been its most important period of racing in its 85-year history, what with the scrutiny placed on Santa Anita owing to a spike in fatalities earlier in the meet. Trainers showed their confidence in the surface by running their best horses Saturday in races like the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Handicap, including the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, Roadster and Game Winner.

“This track is deep and slow, but it’s safe,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Roadster and Game Winner and Santa Anita Handicap runner-up McKinzie.

That confidence is borne out by statistics. Since the death of the maiden claimer Princess Lili B in a workout on March 14, Santa Anita has been open for 24 days of training through Sunday. A total of 3,138 workouts were recorded, with nary a catastrophic injury.

Since racing resumed March 29 following a 3 1/2-week suspension that caused 13 cards to be canceled, there have been seven racing days on which 524 runners competed, with one fatality, that being Arms Runner in the San Simeon on March 29. Arms Runner suffered his catastrophic injury in a downhill turf sprint. Santa Anita is not carding those types of races for now.

The resumption of racing has been conducted under new protocols that include a reduction in the permitted amount of the legal medication Lasix, and a suspension on authorized thresholds on legal therapeutic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Trainers are required to submit workout requests 48 hours in advance so workers can undergo veterinary checks, if deemed necessary.

In addition, horses entered to race can have their race records extensively studied by veterinarians and racing officials, and are subject to enhanced veterinary examinations in addition to race-day checks already in place. There is a long-standing policy in the state for the track’s official veterinarian and veterinarians assigned by the California Horse Racing Board to physically inspect all runners on race days.

The spike in fatalities occurred during an inordinately wet winter during which the main track was repeatedly sealed. Management has said it would look at cancelling racing in similar situations going forward. Despite the wet weather, management ran more races than during that period last year. From opening day Dec. 26 through March 3, Santa Anita ran 369 races, 19 more than during a similar period in 2017-18, and some trainers were threatened that their stall allotment could be jeopardized if they didn’t participate more.

Since the resumption of racing, the policy of trying to run as many races and as many days as possible has been abandoned. There were eight-race cards last week on Thursday and Friday, 11 on the biggest day of the meet Saturday, nine on Sunday, and eight are on tap for the next scheduled day of racing Friday.

--additional reporting by Steve Andersen