Santa Anita may move Big Cap card to Sunday due to rain
?q=100)
ARCADIA, Calif. – Due to a gloomy forecast for rain Friday night through Saturday, Santa Anita officials are forming a contingency plan to postpone Saturday’s blockbuster card by a day and run the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and three other graded stakes on Sunday instead.
Nate Newby, Santa Anita’s vice president and general manager, said midday Wednesday that a decision on whether or not to postpone would be made early Thursday.
“Right now, the forecast is steady rain Friday night and all day Saturday,” Newby said. “The thought is if Sunday is a nice day, we could run Sunday and Monday, if the forecast holds.”
Saturday was scheduled to be one of the biggest days of the winter meet, with four graded stakes. In addition to the Big Cap, the March 2 stakes schedule includes the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf, Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes on turf, and Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-olds.
:: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.
The Santa Anita racing office was accepting entries for Saturday races on Wednesday, as normal. However, an overnight for the Big Cap card will not be published until Thursday, after a decision is made regarding a potential postponement.
“We’re basically trying to buy time to have the closest possible weather forecast,” Newby said. “If Sunday is a nice day, we could run Sunday-Monday, if the forecast holds. That’s probably better for everybody. We’re hoping to be back on the turf on Sunday, depending on how much rain comes.
“Obviously, we would love to run the Big Cap card on a sunny day,” Newby added. “It’s going to be a better product for our players and owners.”
He said an announcement to run Saturday, or to postpone, is expected Thursday morning, likely by 8 a.m. Pacific.
Newby said if the Saturday card is moved to Sunday, the races originally scheduled for Sunday would be run on Monday. The storm is expected to clear by Sunday.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.