Trainers discuss nixing races on sealed racetrack

ARCADIA, Calif. – Persistent rain Wednesday morning at Santa Anita was only a minor inconvenience for horsemen compared to the Tuesday bombshell that racing at Santa Anita had been suspended the remainder of the week while the main track undergoes additional testing.

Both the main track and training track were wet and closed for training Wednesday, as horses and trainers remained under dry cover in shed rows and stable offices prior to a California Thoroughbred Trainers meeting at 9:30 a.m Pacific. The primary topics of the CTT meeting were the decision by Santa Anita to suspend racing and training on the main oval and the closure of the training track due to wet weather.

The CTT meeting wasn’t open to media or racetrack executives, but CTT executive director Alan Balch provided a briefing following the one-hour meeting in the backstretch recreation hall. The meeting was attended by more than 100 horsemen.

Balch cited two key issues addressed at the meeting – the temporary closure of the training track and the idea that perhaps racing should not be conducted at all over a wet, sealed racing surface.

The first concern was immediate. While horsemen accept the closure of the main track for inspection and adjustment by surface expert Dennis Moore in the wake of the 21st equine fatality since Dec. 26, horses still require regular exercise.

“The main concern is the training track and being able to get horses out of their stalls and out of the backstretch,” Balch said. He said the closure of both the main and training tracks “cannot be sustained for very long for the welfare and safety of the horses, which is what this is all about.”

CTT president Jim Cassidy was meeting with Santa Anita officials midday Wednesday to address the reopening of the training track. According to Balch and Cassidy, the hope is that the training track can reopen possibly by Friday. Until the main track reopens, training-track hours could be extended until late morning to allow horses to jog or gallop. No workouts would be allowed due to the volume of horses.

Horsemen say the reopening of the training track is critical while the main track remains closed, pending inspection and adjustment by Moore.

Balch said a second issue raised at the meeting was in the form of a question: “Should we have racing on a sealed racetrack?” A sealed track, which is packed tight so rain rolls off, is less forgiving than a normal fast track.

“Horsemen are very concerned with horses racing on a sealed racetrack, and the pressure that is applied to them to race,” Balch said. “Horses can suffer an injury that might not be evident after running over a sealed racetrack.”

Balch said one idea discussed at the meeting was to not race at all over a sealed track. Perhaps, Balch said some suggested, “the time has come where he should at least consider not running when you have to take these steps to protect the racetrack. Horsemen made the point that races are canceled in the East all the time [due to weather].”

The mood at the meeting reportedly was somewhat somber, perhaps due to the timing of the announcement to suspend racing. The Santa Anita card scheduled for Saturday included the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and a host of supporting stakes.

John Sadler, whose Gift Box was the likely second choice to Big Cap favorite McKinzie, said prior to the 9:30 meeting that he would defer race decisions – where to run – until more information was available. Sadler also had the allowance winner Campaign pointed to the Big Cap, and his top turf miler Catapult was the expected favorite for the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile, also postponed from Saturday.

“It’s so early,” Sadler said early Wednesday morning. “All things are on the table.”

Although the status of Santa Anita highweight McKinzie was not specified, trainer Bob Baffert suggested that Big Cap nominee Dabster could be headed to the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 30.

Trainer Phil D’Amato, whose longshot Noble Commander was expected to run in the Big Cap, also deferred decisions until later Wednesday. It was Tuesday morning when the D’Amato-trained Vyjack was pulled up and vanned off the track after he took couple of awkward steps galloping out after a workout. D’Amato said Vyjack, a multiple Grade 2 winner with earnings of more than $1.4 million, would be examined later Wednesday before his racehorse status is determined. Initial examination did not reveal a problem.

The suspension of racing was partly the result of a fatal breakdown on Tuesday. Lets Light the Way, a filly trained by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally, sustained a fractured sesamoid in the middle of a workout and was euthanized. She was the 21st equine fatality from racing or training since the winter meet began on Dec. 26. Coincidentally or otherwise, her previous start was on a wet track labeled sloppy.

One trainer who was speaking off the record said he had not experienced any serious training injuries this winter. “But I do a lot on the training track,” he said.

The training track has a higher sand content and is not used for races; therefore, it is considered less likely to produce injuries.