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Santa Anita Stable Notes By Victor Ryan
ARCADIA, Calif.—Among the more than 100,000 people who have been evacuated from their homes due to the ongoing Eaton Fire includes many in the Santa Anita community.
As of Friday morning, more than 13,900 acres had burned in areas around Santa Anita Park. Thankfully, the track itself and the more than 1,800 horses stabled on the grounds have not been threatened.
Still, the impact has been devastating for many at Santa Anita. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed by the Eaton fire since it began on Tuesday evening, according to media reports. Agent Mike Ciani confirmed two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Mario Gutierrez is among those who have lost their home from the fire. Many others have had to flee their residences and simply hope for the best.
Among those forced to evacuate were trainers Michael McCarthy, Phil D’Amato, Dan Blacker and Tim Yakteen. Blacker, who is married to FanDuel TV on-air personality Christina Blacker, said he and his family evacuated their Pasadena home near where the Eaton Fire started on Tuesday night.
“My family is fine. Our house is fine,” Blacker said. “We still haven’t gone back as the power is still out. The whole thing is so sad. I’m just thankful we’re all OK and the horses here are all Ok. There are a lot of houses near ours that just aren’t there anymore.”
Yakteen had to leave his home in Monrovia along with wife Millie Ball, who is part of Santa Anita’s on-air simulcast team, and their two sons.
“We had to evacuate and are still without power, but it’s nothing compared to what some of these other families have had to endure. We’re very fortunate,” Yakteen said.
The Eaton Fire forced all training activities at Santa Anita to be canceled Wednesday. Santa Anita also notified trainers that if they wanted to voluntarily evacuate their horses, they would be relocated to another CHRB-sanctioned facility.
On Thursday and Friday mornings, training at Santa Anita was limited to joggers and gallopers due to the poor air quality. Then on Thursday afternoon, track officials announced the 10-race card scheduled for Friday would be postponed until next Thursday. The status of Saturday’s card, which is California Cup Day at Santa Anita, will be made later Friday. “Santa Anita has done a great job keeping everyone informed,” Blacker said. “We’ve also had the fire marshal here keeping everyone informed. It’s not an easy process to navigate. As concerning as all this has been, everything here seems like it’s getting back to normal.”
Editor’s Note: Our thoughts and prayers are with all in the Los Angeles County area who have been devastated by these fires. For information regarding donating to help the fire victims and firefighters click here.
