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.
Santa Anita Park's parent company, Magna Entertainment Corp., faces the threat of bankruptcy amid mounting losses and a $600 million debt burden. The current racing season and status are unaffected. Frank Stronach of Magna Entertainment Corp. said he was looking for partners for the track.
Santa Anita Park will host the Oak Tree Racing Association's fall meet one last time. Oak Tree's five-week fall meet has been held at Santa Anita Park since 1969. Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Development (owner of Santa Anita Park), said he doesn't want to have a tenant (Oak Tree) in the long run and talked about deregulation of the horse racing industry.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments, is scheduled to address the California Horse Racing Board to address a number of issues, including a potential new racetrack surface for Santa Anita Park and the recent cancellation of its lease with the charitable Oak Tree Racing Association. Dennis Mills, MI Development's CEO and vice chairman has said Santa Anita Park might replace its synthetic track soon, which could jeopardize hosting Oak Tree's meet there.
The Oak Tree Racing Association lost its lease to operate its fall horse racing meet at Santa Anita Park. Oak Tree has operated a fall meet at the track since 1969. Due to bankruptcy restructuring, Frank Stronach's company MI Developments took control of Santa Anita Park from Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC). MI Developments wants to negotiate a new lease agreement with Oak Tree for fall racing.
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 California Horse Racing Board authorized Oak Tree Racing Association to have its traditional fall meet at another thoroughbred venue in Southern California since the association's use of Santa Anita Park is still uncertain. MI Developments, which is chaired by Frank Stronach, recently voided Oak Tree's contract after acquiring the race track from Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC) through federal bankruptcy proceedings. Oak Tree's director Sherwood Chillingworth said, "If we can't make a deal with Santa Anita...we can take our dates and run them in Hollywood or Del Mar."
Santa Anita Park owner Frank Stronach is coming to town this weekend to meet with local horsemen to talk about the state of the sport. He'll also meet with an engineer to discuss the pros and cons of a proposed new racing surface consisting of dirt, sand, and a small amount of fiber. He says it is a very safe surface. The question remains, who will foot the bill for it, since Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corporation (MEC) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.
The California Horse Racing Board has approved Santa Anita Park's plan to resurface its main track with dirt. The Pro-Ride synthetic surface will be replaced by the first week of December.
MI Developments, the new owners of Santa Anita Park, defended canceling Oak Tree Racing Association's lease for fall racing, saying the contract did not account for the true economic cost of running the race track, according to Dennis Mills, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Canada-based MI Developments. On the other hand, Oak Tree's director and executive vice president Sherwood Chillingworth said the race track was getting the better deal, as Santa Anita Park got 75% of Oak Tree's profits. Chillingworth is talking about running Oak Tree at Hollywood Park or Del Mar.
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.
On opening day of the winter - spring season at Santa Anita Park race track, fans will find renovations including additional dining areas, outdoor lighting, new restrooms, a new restaurant, SIRONA, on the Terrace level and palm trees near the entrance.
Oak Tree Racing leaves Santa Anita Park after 41 years and races at Hollywood Park for its 42nd season, starting today. It is a 22-day season that consists of four 4-day race weeks. Oak Tree's lease at Santa Anita Park was voided by MI Developments.
Santa Anita Park opens the 2010-2011 season with a new $3 million dirt surface on its track. The on-track attendance was 34,268, which was 1,400 less than last year. Trumpeter Jay Cohen calls the horses to the gate (photo).
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.
With the winter-spring racing season less than three weeks old, Santa Anita Park has laid off parimutuel and other workers, and track owner Frank Stonach is being publically chastised for his leadership style.
Santa Anita Park Race Track owner Frank Stronach has met with city officials about Arcadia's concerns with the track expansion plan and future sessions will be held. The concerns centered around plans to build new barns on the north side of the property, the internal connections between the track and Westfield Shopping mall traffic and people, and architectural compatibility with the track.
Oak Tree racing season opens at Santa Anita Park race track. A photograph shows jockey Corey Nakatani on horse called Liquidity, jockey Aaron Gryder riding Mystic Wood, and trumpeter Jay Cohen.