Santa Anita put out a condition book Thursday targeting May 15 for the resumption of live racing under strict protocols with no fans present.
With the Los Angeles County’s current Stay-At-Home order expiring on May 15, track management presented plans to County officials illustrating the logistical complexities of reopening the racing facility estimating it will take Santa Anita up to two weeks to resume operations with the guidelines in place.
In a letter to industry representatives distributed April 29, Aidan Butler, the acting executive director of California operations for The Stronach Group, which operates Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields in the state, wrote that the release of the condition book was necessary to allow horsemen to prepare for the possible resumption of racing.
Butler also stated this resumption would be subject to the stringent restrictions which were included in the plan and protocols currently under consideration by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles County Health Department officials.
As Santa Anita prepares to reopen, there will be continued consultation with Health Department officials and Santa Anita’s own independent health experts to safeguard employees and participants. There will be no additional risk to the 750 people who currently live on-site or to the community at large, Butler stated in his letter.
The new condition book starts right off with two California-bred stakes on May 16–the Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-olds and the Evening Jewel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Then Santa Anita kicks of the holiday weekend, May 23, with more stakes action with the Charlie Whittingham Stakes (G2T) and the Daytona Stakes (G3T). On Memorial Day, May 25, they offers several graded turf races–the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1T), the $300,000 Gamely Stakes (G1T) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles, and the $200,000 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) at 5 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares. The Shoemaker Mile is a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup qualifier.
The full Santa Anita condition book can be found on the track’s website or at equibase.com.
Past The Wire Staff
Photo: Santa Anita Park
