Santa Anita Closing Main Track For Full Evaluation Following Fatal Injuries

In conjunction with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), Santa Anita Park has announced its main track will be closed for training beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday and all day Tuesday in order to fully evaluate sub-surface conditions such as moisture content and soil consistency. If the results of these efforts indicate the track is in prime condition, regularly scheduled training will resume Wednesday morning and live racing will proceed on Thursday. Although Santa Anita has experienced 11 ½ inches of rain and near-record cold temperatures this month, dry weather and more moderate temperatures are forecast for the next several days, which will enable LaRocco's crew to “peel back” the track's cushion to a depth of approximately five inches, where a thorough examination of the base can be undertaken. Mick Peterson, PhD, who serves as Director of the University of Kentucky's Agricultural Equine Programs, and who evaluates soil samples from Santa Anita on a monthly basis, will be on-site in the coming days to review Santa Anita's sub-surface and surface data. Peterson will also be working with a newly formed committee consisting of Hall of Fame retired jockey Alex Solis, who is now a CHRB commissioner, one well-established Southern California trainer, one active jockey and one member of Santa Anita's management team to fully evaluate all data and monitor feedback from horsemen, including trainers, jockeys and exercise riders. The plans to evaluate the Santa Anita surface come after an increase of fatalities during both racing and training hours since the start of the meet on Dec. 26. For the first nine weeks of the Santa Anita meet (Dec. 26-Feb. 23), the CHRB reported 13 fatalities on dirt (six during racing, seven during training hours) and five on turf (during racing)...MORE