Santa Anita cancels final four races on Thursday card due to power failures
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Santa Anita canceled the final four races on Thursday’s program after repeated power failures midway through a nine-race program.
After the fifth race, power was lost for approximately 40 minutes before it was briefly restored via a backup generator, the track said in a statement. A few minutes later, the generator failed.
The track dealt with power issues earlier in the week, an official said.
The runners for Thursday’s sixth race were in the paddock for more than 30 minutes with the hope that power could be restored.
“Santa Anita Park experienced a power failure that affected parts of the building after the fifth race that included the broadcast production and production track,” the track said in a statement.
“The system is on back up generator, but that has also failed. Due to this, racing today has been cancelled. Santa Anita will be open Friday for live racing as scheduled.”
The track is scheduled to run a nine-race program beginning at 1 p.m. Pacific on Friday.
Because of the cancellation, consolation payoffs were issued in the $2 rolling double that began in the fifth race, and the $1 pick three that started in the fourth race.
Refunds will be issued on five bets – the $3 all-turf pick three that encompassed the fifth, seventh and ninth races, the $2 pick six, the 50-cent late pick five, the 50-cent late pick four and the $1 pick three that began in the fifth race.
The cancelled races were a $20,000 claimer for maidens at 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, a starter allowance for fillies and mares at six furlongs on turf, the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, and an allowance race at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.
The track’s spring meeting ends on Sunday. A three-week meeting begins at Los Alamitos on June 19.
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