Santa Anita ends live racing over coronavirus concerns

LOS ANGELES — Santa Anita canceled live racing Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic after instructions from the Los Angeles County Health Department.

The track in Arcadia, Calif., was preparing to stage eight races when the cancellation was announced about 30 minutes before the first race. It’s not immediately known when racing will be allowed to resume.

“We’re in talks with the health department to see what we can do to continue racing,” Aidan Butler, acting executive director of California racing operations for The Stronach Group, told the Associated Press by phone.

The Stronach Group owns Santa Anita, where the deaths of horses over the last year have caused controversy and led to sweeping reforms involving medication and safety.

The Santa Anita Derby scheduled for April 4 has been postponed. The race is the West Coast’s major prep for the Kentucky Derby, which itself has been pushed back from May 2 to Sept. 5.

The California Horse Racing Board told the track it must operate under the sanction of local health authorities. Gov. Gavin Newsom had already issued a statewide stay-at-home order, resulting in businesses shutting down or dramatically scaling back to protect against the spread of the virus.

Santa Anita said there are no known cases of COVID-19 at the track, where 750 stable workers live and work to take care of over 1,700 horses.

“We will continue to work with authorities to familiarize them with the protocols which have been put in place to protect the health and safety of those who work with the horses and the horses themselves,” the track said in a statement.

The track has been closed to the public, with only essential personnel allowed, since March 12.

The stoppage of live racing doesn’t affect training hours, which will continue, Butler said.