Revised policy on workout requests could debut this weekend at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita may enact a revised policy as early as Saturday requiring trainers to submit workout requests 48 hours in advance. Trainers currently must submit workout requests 24 hours in advance, and the extra day will allow track officials and veterinarians more time to scrutinize a horse’s training and veterinary history before granting a request.

Last weekend, the track and the Thoroughbred Owners of California announced a multi-point agreement regarding medication policies and safety protocols following a rash of equine fatalities in racing and training since late December. The workout request change is part of the agreement.

There have been 22 fatalities since late December. The pre-workout application system was put in place earlier this month.

The 48-hour policy could begin Saturday for workouts on Monday, according to racing secretary Steve Lym.

“We brought in some new measures and we don’t have the time to get them done in 24 hours,” he said. “We’ll have vets sign off on regular workouts.

“I don’t think we’ll see a high number of horses flagged.”

Lym said trainers can request to work a horse and then choose not to conduct a workout.

Racing at Santa Anita was last held on March 3 and is scheduled to resume on March 29. The race meeting runs through June 23.

The main track underwent an inspection in late February and in early March, forcing the cancellation of training on the main track for several days each time. There has been training on the main track on a daily basis since March 11 and workouts since March 13.

When racing resumes, there could be fewer races per day compared to in January and February. Lym said eight- or nine-race programs are likely for Thursdays and Fridays, with nine or 10 races on Saturdays or Sundays.

There may be more races carded if entries are plentiful, he said.

“We’d like to hold it to eight or nine,” Lym said. “We could have 10 on Saturday [and Sundays] with the stakes. Hopefully, we’ll be good. Lots of horses are ready.”

Through March 3, a period of 40 days of racing since Dec. 26, there have been 8 eight-race programs, 17 with nine races, 13 with 10 races, and two with 11. There have been 19 more races than during the corresponding period during the 2017-18 meeting, even though there has been more rain than usual this season.

Because of the recent cancellation of races, some stakes were postponed or canceled. An additional alteration to the stakes schedule moves one of the meet’s leading sprints, the Grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes, from April 13 to April 20. This gives horses running in the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes on March 30 an extra week to prepare for the Kona Gold.