Unprecedented wildfires in California, some half a dozen active fires reported as of January 9, has led to the evacuations of thousands of people and destroyed more than 10,000 structures including homes.
Horsepeople at nearby SANTA ANITA RACETRACK in Arcadia, which is south of the Eaton Fire, could see flames and smoke during training hours on Thursday. The track was open for galloping only, according to trainer John Sadler on ‘X’. Racing at Santa Anita on Jan. 10 has been postponed to Jan. 17.
“While Santa Anita continues to remain well outside of any active fire area, the smoke from the wildfires is affecting all of Los Angeles County,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita’s General Manager & SVP. “We also want to respect the impact that this tragedy has had on many of our community, including our horsemen and women and our own Santa Anita team, who have been devastated by these fires. By proactively moving the races, it gives our horsemen and women, horseplayers, fans and our team the opportunity to plan accordingly.”
A decision on this weekend’s racing program, including Saturday’s 11-race California Cup program, will be made on Friday.
On Wednesday morning, Santa Anita began distributing N-95 masks to all backstretch and frontstretch personnel as well as protective eyewear because of the smoke from the Eaton Fire. Although Santa Anita was never in any imminent danger from the fire, the track has offered assistance to trainers who wished to voluntarily evacuate their horses to another CHRB facility.
Meanwhile, Arkansas, particularly Hot Springs where Oaklawn Park is located, is in the grips of winter, with snow and chilling temperatures. The track canceled racing Friday through Sunday.
Aqueduct had canceled racing on Thursday due to high winds and Parx cancelled due to weather.
Even overseas in England, some tracks have had to cancel because of cold temperatures and the weather placing havoc with the track surfaces.
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