Santa Anita surface renovation complete

Santa Anita has completed the renovation of its main track and will reopen for training on Sept. 2, the track announced in a press release on Monday. The stable area opens on Sunday.

Over the past two months, Santa Anita replaced its sand-and-clay mix with El Segundo sand, single-source material made available because of construction near Los Angeles International Airport.

“It’s been my experience that the best surfaces around the country are all comprised of naturally occurring soils that are typically indigenous and not made by man,” said Dennis Moore, who was hired by Santa Anita as its track superintendent last December following a highly successful tenure at the now-shuttered Hollywood Park. “This entire project has gone even better than any of us had hoped for.

We’ve removed and installed about 21,000 yards of material and we are extremely pleased with its uniformity and with the way it’s settled in.”

Opening day of the fall meeting is Sept. 26. The Breeders’ Cup will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1.