Santa Anita adds card for April 30 to make up for cancellations

Santa Anita will race on Thursday, April 30 as a makeup for weather-related cancellations earlier this year.

The track has canceled racing seven times since Dec. 26 because of inclement weather, and has held four makeup days, a Monday in late December and two Thursdays in January. Two makeup days are scheduled next month – April 2 and 30.

The April 2 program is the start of a four-day racing week that includes the Santa Anita Derby program on April 4. The current winter-spring meeting ends on April 5.

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There is no racing at Santa Anita on the weekend of April 10-12 before the spring meeting begins on April 17.

The April 30 program has the potential to be a strong business day compared to previous makeup days. The program will be run two days before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. On April 30, the Churchill Downs program includes three stakes, which is likely to lead to strong simulcast handle at Santa Anita.

The start of the current meeting was delayed from Friday, Dec. 26 to Sunday, Dec. 28 because of inclement weather. The storm cost the track two of its biggest business days of the season – opening day and Dec. 27.

The track has not canceled racing since Feb. 16. The region has had warmer-than-normal conditions in recent weeks.

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