Santa Anita to reopen for limited training

ARCADIA, Calif. — Santa Anita will reopen its main dirt track for limited training Monday nearly a week after the historic racetrack was closed to training and racing in the wake of 21 horses dying since Deb. 26.

Horses can only jog or gallop on the dirt; no timed workouts will be allowed.

Veteran track superintendent Dennis Moore said Saturday that over the last few days he’s done extensive visual inspections of the mile oval, as well as analyzing soil samples and test data.

Santa Anita will impose new rules to scrutinize horses training on its racetrack and add a director of equine welfare in an effort to mitigate the series of catastrophic breakdowns.

The racetrack remains closed indefinitely for racing.

The inner training track, which has not had any breakdowns, was open Saturday for horses to jog and gallop only.

Saturday was supposed to be a big day of racing at the historic track. But the San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-old Kentucky Derby hopefuls and the Santa Anita Handicap for older horses were scuttled when the track was closed on Tuesday.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns the track, said the new safety and welfare measures will take effect when racing resumes in the coming weeks.

“What they’re trying to do is the right thing,” said Jim Cassidy, president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers. “Just make sure everybody is accountable for their actions.”

The new rules will require trainers to apply at least 24 hours in advance to hold timed workouts for their horses. Officials believe that will give track veterinarians time to identify potential at-risk horses through their past performances, workout dates and physical inspections.

Cassidy lost a filly from his 40-horse stable after she was fatally injured on the turf course during the meet that began Dec. 26. He said she broke her hind leg around a turn.

“I’m sure she took a bad step,” he said. “She never really had injuries at all.”

The Stronach Group said it has hired extra vets to observe all horses entering and exiting the dirt and turf course during morning training hours.

The morning training schedule will change, too.

The first 15 minutes of training after the dirt track opens, and each time its surface is renovated, will be reserved for horses completing official timed workouts. Officials said that will reduce the number of horses on the track at the same time and create a safer environment.

The Stronach Group plans to hire an accredited vet as the track’s new director of equine welfare. That person will lead a rapid response team for injuries and conduct investigations while communicating the findings to the racing and general public.

Santa Anita also will require veterinary records of a horse to follow that animal through any ownership or trainer change. A similar rule is in effect at Florida’s Gulfstream Park, which is also owned by The Stronach Group.

“This has worked very well at Gulfstream Park,” Ritvo said. “There was some pushback from the trainers at first, but this is the best thing for the horse.”

Cassidy sees no problem with keeping a horse and its vet records together. “Most of these horses stay in the same hands,” he said.

Ritvo said The Stronach Group will invest in any new technology or equipment that will help discover pre-existing injuries in horses.

Cassidy said any time a horse has an issue, trainers typically use X-rays, MRI and nuclear scans to find a cause, as well as having their own vets and track vets look at the animals. Jockeys also share information about horses they exercise in the mornings or ride in the afternoons.

“These horses change from day to day to day. We look at them every single day,” Cassidy said. “You’re always going to have injuries.”

Along with Moore, Santa Anita is expected to retain the services of Mick Peterson of the University of Kentucky, who also is examining the dirt and turf courses.

“We’re looking forward to returning to normal,” Ritvo said, “but it will be a new normal.”

Cassidy described the mood around Santa Anita’s stable area as “very somber.”

“We will press on,” he said, “and hopefully all of these new changes will make a difference.”