Santa Anita winter-spring dates approved, but with conditions

DEL MAR, Calif. – Santa Anita will race sparingly, if at all, in inclement conditions during its winter-spring meeting that begins on Dec. 26, and will not run claiming races for values of less than $10,000, according to terms announced at Thursday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting.

The racing board approved Santa Anita’s racing license by a 5-0 vote, contingent on several restrictions different from past seasons.

Details of what will determine whether racing occurs in inclement conditions were not announced on Thursday, but will be presented at the racing board’s next meeting at Los Alamitos on Dec. 12.

“We have an agreement that in periods of inclement weather, when the track will be deemed unsafe, there will be no training or racing,” racing board chairman Greg Ferraro said at start of the discussion on Santa Anita’s license application.

“The whole idea is to protect safety and horses during inclement weather situations. We won’t race or train or race on tracks deemed unsafe.”

Earlier this year, Santa Anita canceled racing for 13 days in March after a series of equine fatalities during racing or training in late February and early March following higher-than-normal rain through the winter. During the break in racing, the main track underwent renovation and inspection.

The forthcoming season is scheduled for 104 racing days, through June 21, but will be reduced by 12 undetermined days as part of an agreement reached earlier this year when the racing board announced racing dates for 2020.

Days lost to inclement weather could count toward the total, along with days canceled because of a lack of available runners, according to Aidan Butler, acting executive director of California racing operations for the track’s parent company, The Stronach Group.

There is concern in the racing community that Santa Anita will have difficulty conducting racing on a four-day per week schedule in the first half of 2020. Last spring and early summer, Santa Anita eliminated racing on Thursdays and primarily ran three days a week during that time when the horse population was low.

Other terms of the winter-spring license are the elimination of races for $8,000 claimers, which have been run occasionally in the recent past, and restrictions limiting short-term activity for horses injected with corticosteroids in fetlock joints. The 2-year-olds of 2020 will not be treated with Lasix, a restriction that was announced earlier this year.

Butler told the racing board that Santa Anita will not run sprints on the hillside turf course and is exploring the installation of a synthetic surface on the main track or the infield training track.

One option for a synthetic track is a Tapeta Footings surface, which is in use on the main track at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, a track owned by The Stronach Group. Butler emphasized that no decisions have been made regarding the installation of a synthetic surface with discussions and study continuing on how the surface would perform through extensive morning training and the warm summers and fall and cool winters at Santa Anita.

“We’re are looking to put together a working group,” Butler said.

Santa Anita had a synthetic track in the past. A Pro-Ride synthetic surface used at Santa Anita in the late 2000s did not perform well, failing to drain during significant rain.

No sprints have been run on the hillside turf course since March 31 after a two-horse spill occurred in a graded stakes that day.

“We’re not intending to bring it back,” Butler said.

Turf sprints have subsequently been run at five and 5 1/2 furlongs on main turf oval. The hillside turf course has been used for the start of distance turf races since the spring.

Santa Anita’s main track will undergo renovation on Monday, according to Butler. The procedure was postponed from this week because of wet weather.

Butler said the track does not have current plans to expand the Santa Anita stable area, which has been discussed at times since Frank Stronach acquired the track in 1998. Recently, track officials discussed expanding the barn area in a parking lot north of the racetrack.

Butler said an expansion of the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego county is a more viable option.

Earlier this year, a series of tougher medication restrictions were put in place at California tracks in an effort to reduce fatalities. Ferraro, who was named chairman on Thursday, said more medication policies will be put in place in coming months.

The most recent proposal was announced on Thursday. Horses injected with corticosteroids in fetlock joints will not be eligible to race at Santa Anita for 30 days after the procedure and will not be permitted to undergo “high-speed” workouts for 10 days, according to the racing board.