Weekend Winners Club

.
Wed.Mar.6.2019, Arcadia, CA. Santa Anita officials have decided to cancel racing indefinitely due to 21 horse deaths at the track since December, an unusually high number for any track and a major concern for everyone involved in horse racing.
.

.
The announcement comes just a week after Santa Anita deemed the track OK and continued racing last weekend, but the death toll continued. They are now closing the track to examine the surface more thoroughly in order to determine the problem.
.
Major stakes racing was to held on Saturday March 9, including the San Felipe G2, San Carlos G2, Frank Kilroe Mile G1, and the historic Santa Anita Handicap (Big Cap) G1. Racing would normally resume on Thursday March 14 but there is no definite date set at this point.
.
Santa Anita received almost 12 inches of rain in February, and had unusually cold weather as well. Experts say that the weather is not a factor but Stronach COO Tim Ritvo admits the track was not built for those type of weather conditions, and other horsemen believe the surface needs examination.
.
“Something is drastically wrong. I’ve been around a long time and have never seen this,” 82-year-old trainer Art Sherman, the oldest to win the Kentucky Derby in 2014, told the Los Angeles Times. “There’s something wrong in the foundation, or something is not right. The only way to find out is shut it down.”
.
In addition to its usual major stakes racing including the Santa Anita Derby G1 in April, Santa Anita is currently scheduled to hold the Breeders’ Cup for a record 10th time and 5th time this decade. The priority right now is ensuring the track is safe for horses to train and race on.
.
Kentucky Derby Central
.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS