Santa Anita plans to use its synthetic track infield surface for racing as early as the 2024-25 winter-spring meeting, track officials told the California Horse Racing Board at its monthly meeting on Thursday. Santa Anita general manager Nate Newby said the course would be used in the event inclement weather forces races off the turf. “We would look at that to maintain field sizes and still be able to operate,” Newby said. The infield course has a circumference of about six furlongs. Newby told the racing board that when the synthetic track was installed last winter it was graded for potential use for racing. The infield track has been used only for training since the course opened in early March. Newby said races on the infield track would be run at distances of about 6 1/2 furlongs to about a mile. Races at about 6 1/2 furlongs would begin at the top of the stretch, while races at about a mile would begin on the backstretch and cross the finish line twice. To accommodate racing on the infield, the inner rail will be altered to allow the starting gate to be driven onto the infield when a race begins, Newby said. The track was urged to stay in contact with racing board officials regarding progress on the project. At the start of the meeting, chairman Greg Ferraro said the board will enact a new policy to redirect simulcast revenue for regulatory costs on days when tracks fail to operate on scheduled racing dates. Ferraro emphasized that dates lost to weather-related cancellations would not be subject to the policy. Earlier this year, Golden Gate Fields canceled six scheduled days because of insufficient entries. Simulcast monies generated from those days were split between the racetracks and horsemen through purses. In June, the racing board adopted a budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year that requires greater contributions for several tracks. At Thursday’s meeting, Ferraro said revenue generated from simulcasting on canceled days would be split among the obligations for all racetracks in the state and not just the venue that does not race. “When you don’t race, everyone benefits, not just [one] track,” Ferraro said. The racing board approved applications for three upcoming meetings at Fresno, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Santa Anita will offer a $2 pick six at its autumn meeting from Sept. 27 to Oct. 27, according to its license application. The track has offered a $1 pick six in the last year. Newby said in an interview earlier this month that the $2 minimum could lead to higher carryovers. The track eliminated the 20-cent jackpot format after its spring meeting in 2023. While the jackpot format for the pick six was unpopular with some bettors because of a structure that devoted monies to a pool for single ticket winners, the bet produced significant handle on days with mandatory payouts. “We like the $1 or $2” pick six, Newby said. “I know there are players in both camps. The $1 we like but the pool size is still down from the jackpot. The $2 might bring in some carryovers and might compare more favorably with the jackpot” pools. “We did hear from a lot of core players that the dollar is fun and that for carryover reasons some players prefer the $2 bet.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.