Rain prompts Santa Anita to cancel Sunday card, push Santa Ynez back a week

ARCADIA, Calif. – Due to heavy rain Saturday night, Santa Anita canceled racing for Sunday and postponed the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes by one week. The sprint for 3-year-old fillies will be run Jan. 8, one week later than scheduled.

As of early Sunday, Santa Anita officials expected racing to resume Monday with a 10-race card that includes the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes slated for the hillside course. Racing secretary Chris Merz said Sunday the six and one-half-furlong turf sprint could stay on the hill, move to six and one-half furlongs on the main turf oval, or be moved to dirt.

“I am very confident we will have a card Monday,” Merz said. “It’s just a matter of if we have both surfaces or just one surface.”

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The training track and main track were closed Sunday after one and one-half inches of rain fell Saturday night, but dry weather and wind were expected to expedite the drying-out process on Sunday

“If we get a lucky with a lot of wind expected, we might still be able to on the turf (Monday),” Merz said.

The call will be made Monday morning by track officials, including turf superintendent Jesse Martinez, after the course is inspected and analyzed. Six of the 10 races Monday are scheduled for turf

Another rainstorm expected midweek will influence the complexion of the Friday card.

Merz said, “With more weather on its way, it looks like an all-dirt card on Friday.”

Entries for the Friday card are to be drawn later Sunday.

The postponement of the Santa Ynez by one week moves the seven-furlong sprint to a Jan. 8 card that includes the Grade 3 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds. Justique was the odds-on favorite for the Santa Ynez; Sham nominees include National Treasure, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; graded sprint winner Havnameltdown; and graded turf winners Speed Boat Beach and Packs a Wahlop.

Five Cal-bred stakes are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 7, including two on turf – the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic and $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint. The dirt stakes are the $200,000 California Cup Derby and California Cup Oaks, along with the $150,000 California Cup Sprint.

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