Santa Anita Horsemen Weigh Options After Shutdown

Horsemen at Santa Anita Park are trying to decide their best course of action for their Thoroughbreds after track management announced March 5 an indefinite suspension of racing.

On the morning of March 6, more than 100 trainers met in the Santa Anita backstretch kitchen to discuss the situation with their California Thoroughbred Trainers representatives. 

"We wanted to hear what they were most concerned about," said Alan Balch, executive director of CTT. "Aside from the obvious, which is how long this is going to be, the main concern is the training track and being able to get horses out of their stalls and out of the backstretch. High-performance racehorses are in a 12-by-12 stall and in a shedrow, and that can't be sustained for long for the welfare and the safety of the horses."

The horsemen said the training track would allow horses to exercise.

"We're not trying to get the training track open for working," Balch said. "We're trying to get the training track open for exercise."

Horsemen were hopeful that the training track could be opened as early as March 8, probably for jogging and galloping only. Rain continued to fall steadily March 6 in the Arcadia, Calif., area, with the forecast calling for rain throughout the day and a 34% chance of precipitation Thursday and 41% chance Friday.

The track's decision to close indefinitely followed 21 equine fatalities during morning training and racing since Dec. 26. Management announced Tuesday it had brought back former track superintendent Dennis Moore as a consultant, while Dr. Mick Peterson and his associates continue to test the service.

Balch added that while the trainers would like to have the training track open by Thursday, they realize track management will make that decision based on weather and other factors.

"Dennis needs to inspect the training track," Balch said. "Dennis not only inspects the footing, he checks the grades. He's a surveyor. He wants to check the evenness and everything. We all agree this is about safety."

Industry leaders are examining other options. Dr. Edward Allred of Los Alamitos Race Course quickly offered the use of 300-350 stalls at that track. Thoroughbreds train there year-round as part of the Southern California stabling situation, though currently that track is only conducting Quarter Horse racing.

Balch said CTT is "checking into all locations—Del Mar, Los Alamitos, Fresno, Pleasanton." As of midday March 6, those discussions were ongoing.

"My sense is the trainers want to stay here (at Santa Anita), and they are willing to wait some period of time," Balch said. "But they would like to have definition, and we don't have any definition yet. Clearly, the main track is going to take a lot more attention than the training track."

The indefinite cancellation of racing means the big stakes card originally scheduled for March 9 has been postponed. That includes the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), San Felipe Stakes (G2), and Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T). The San Felipe, for 3-year-olds, was expected to attract the Bob Baffert-trained duo of champion Game Winner and Improbable, both undefeated Triple Crown hopefuls.

All trainers stabled at Santa Anita were taking steps to deal with the suspension of racing and training. Horses were walked in shedrows the morning of March 6. The backstretch was eerily silent during morning hours usually full of horses coming and going to the track.

John Sadler is one of many trainers who maintain a second string at Los Alamitos.

"Speaking at 8:40 on Wednesday morning, I believe that we'll be on the training track possibly on Friday," Sadler said. "I'm already stabled at Los Alamitos, and that will be an option for me if need be. But the situation is so fluid, we don't know what we're going to do yet."

Sadler noted the weather has been a major factor. The Los Angeles area had one of the coldest Februarys on record—one report noting it had been more than 100 years since Los Angeles had not topped 70 degrees throughout the month. Rain has pelted the Arcadia area with a series of storms, many occurring during weekends and other racing days.

Trainer Jeff Mullins said he tack-walked all of his horses the morning of March 6. Jeff Bonde did the same. Bonde keeps some horses at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, and he noted that he would be sending two horses up there to race this weekend. One of them, 10-year-old Eagle Screams, had originally been entered in a race at Santa Anita March 8.

Jim Cassidy, president of CTT, had been pointing Prime Attraction for the Santa Anita Handicap. He said he would likely still run the horse in the race if it is rescheduled soon.

"One thing that came up at this meeting was that we asked for a shuttle from here to Golden Gate for horses that would fit there," Balch said. "But the problem with that is they don't have much stabling capacity at Golden Gate. So maybe that's where Pleasanton comes in. All of these avenues are going to be investigated. Golden Gate does have an all-weather track."

Some trainers suggested more liberal use of cancellations, when bad weather occurs, could be an option.

"This is all about the safety of the horses," said Balch. "Horses can suffer an injury that might not be evident after racing on a sealed racetrack. The horsemen made the point that racing is canceled in the East all the time for snow, rain, wind, bad weather, whatever. We've been pretty immune to that in California since 1934 really (when racing was legalized in the state)."

Balch, who served as an executive at Santa Anita in the 1970s and 1980s, didn't recall ever losing a day to weather back then or having such major stakes rescheduled.

"Back then, we only raced for 11 or 15 weeks," Balch said. "It's a totally different situation now. It's year-round racing with half the numbers of horses in the foal crop. With all the opportunities for racing, I think this (trainer) group feels that the time has come when we should at least consider not running when you have to take these steps to protect the racetrack. Because the horses are the No. 1 thing."