Santa Anita to install synthetic training track

Santa Anita will close its infield training track later this month to replace the existing dirt surface with a synthetic surface, the track announced in late October.

The project is expected to take two months, weather permitting.

The training track is popular with trainers, who often send runners for daily exercise, including workouts, in lieu of using the main track.

:: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.

The material for the Tapeta Footings synthetic surface is currently in transport from Europe and will be blended on site before installation, track officials said.

The synthetic track installation is part of a series of changes the track’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, announced in July regarding its tracks in the state. At the time, 1/ST Racing said it would close Golden Gate Fields racetrack in the Bay Area in December, a plan that has now been pushed back to June 2024 at the earliest.

Others capital improvements, including renovations to the existing stable area at Santa Anita and the installation of a one-mile turf chute, have yet to begin.

The one-mile turf chute will begin in a space currently used for parking and join the existing hillside turf course approximately five furlongs from the finish.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.