Santa Anita set to resume racing Friday with eight-race card

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita resumes racing on Friday for the first time in nearly four weeks with an eight-race program highlighted by the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes.

Racing was halted after the March 3 program following a rash of equine fatalities since late December that led track officials to conduct an inspection of the main track. The surface underwent renovation before the main track reopened for training on March 11.

Friday’s program, which begins at 1 p.m., Pacific, has fields of 11, 7, 9, 8, 10, 8, 6, and 10. The $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf is the seventh race and has a field of six – Epical, Risky Proposition, Unapologetic, Beach View, Marckie’s Water, and Ashleyluvssugar.

There are five races on the main track and three on turf. Entries were drawn on Sunday.

There was some confusion among trainers and veterinarians on Sunday morning when the track briefly implemented a policy requiring private veterinarians to sign forms to accompany entries that stated horses under their care were fit for racing. Officials later rescinded the policy, which had not been discussed publicly prior to Sunday.

Racing secretary Steve Lym said a program will be enacted with the resumption of racing this week in which the race records of all horses entered will be extensively studied and that some runners could undergo enhanced veterinary checks in addition to race-day veterinary examinations already in place.

There is a long-standing policy in the state for the track’s official veterinarian and veterinarians assigned by the California Horse Racing Board to physically inspect all runners on race day.

“We’re trying our hardest to have safe racing, and so are the trainers,” Lym said. “We’ve gone through a tough time, and hopefully we come out the other side better off.”

Earlier this month, Santa Anita began a program in which trainers were required to submit workout requests in advance, allowing officials a chance to review the records of horses undergoing major exercise.

Initially, workout requests were required 24 hours in advance, but the track announced Sunday that requests must be submitted 48 hours in advance beginning on Monday for horses scheduled to work on Wednesday.