Two inches of hail forced the cancellation of races at Santa Anita Park yesterday. More rain is expected over the next few days. Maintenance on the Cushion Track will begin when the rain stops.
Santa Anita Park race track president Ron Charles discusses drainage problems in the Cushion Track and promises that opening day will go on as scheduled.
A drainage problem forced the cancellation of horse racing at Santa Anita Park since three inches of rain fell yesterday. The track has had to cancel racing 12 times since the synthetic track was installed two years ago. In 2006, the California Horse Racing Board banned dirt surfaces from thoroughbred tracks. Santa Anita Park has tried two synthetic tracks but the surfaces have not worked out. Officials announced they will replace the synthetic surface before the Oak Tree Meet in the fall.
Drainage problems with the Cushion Track cause the cancellation of races. Santa Anita Park race track executives weigh options including shutting down and moving races to Hollywood Park, or installing a completely new surface.
Santa Anita Park has come up with two options to solve its drainage issues caused by the Cushion Track. Santa Anita Park president Ron Charles will announce his decision Thursday. Santa Anita had to cancel three consecutive days of horse racing for the first time in its 71-year history, due to heavy rainfall.
Santa Anita Park president Ron Charles has announced it will continue to race on its Cushion Track this season. It will undergo some reformulation with polymer and fibers produced by Pro-Ride, an Australian company, so that it will drain properly.
The temporary shutting down of horse racing at Santa Anita Park, due to drainage issues associated with its Cushion Track, has slowed food, beverage and merchandise sales on site. The City of Arcadia, which receives a portion of each ticket sold, has cause for concern.
Beginning July 14, Santa Anita Park's main track will be reconstituted with a mixture of Pro-Ride synthetic materials to replace its ill-fated Cushion Track.
Lava Man, with exercise rider Tony Romero, takes a jog on the Santa Anita Park race track's new surface, a Cushion Track that cost more than $10 million.
At least 300 tons of sand were added to the new all-dirt main track at Santa Anita Park, to correct the imbalance of sand to clay after 14.5 inches of rain fell over a 10-day period.
Foul weather foils New Year's Day racing at Santa Anita Park--its New Year's Day racing was canceled 5 1/2 hours before first post after a light rain fell through much of Saturday's card and intensified throughout the night and into Sunday morning (January 1).
Santa Anita Park cancels Friday racing due to recent storms. Friday's card will be redrawn Saturday and held February 15. Santa Anita Park V.P. and General Manager Nate Newby said more than 10 inches of rain fell in Arcadia since Sunday afternoon.
Santa Anita Park cancels all weekend racing due to unprecedented winter weather forecast for Southern California. A storm is expected to drop 6 inches of rain through Saturday.
Ron Charles, 61, who has been president of Santa Anita Park for 5 1/2 years, is resigning. His final day is today. General Manager George Haines will take over as interim president while MI Developments (MID) searches for a replacement.
Santa Anita Park's current Pro-Ride synthetic track surface will be replaced with a dirt track after the Oak Tree meet ends October 31 and before Santa Anita Park's winter-spring season starts December 26, 2010. Frank Stronach said it will cost about $6 million to install.
Santa Anita Park owner Frank Stronach met with about a dozen horse trainers to discuss the track's racing surface. Stronach announced that he would not replace the synthetic Pro-Ride track yet, but will stick with it until he gets the ability to run the track with less state regulations. He wants free enterprise, which he may never get. In the meantime, drainage problems and injuries persist on the synthetic track. Stronach said he'd be back in April to discuss the issue more.
Oak Tree Racing has begun at Santa Anita Park. Opening day drew a crowd of 17,239, a number that slightly eclipsed last year's opening day attendance, but the on-track handle of $1.88 million fell by about $315,000 compared to last year's opening day.