Santa Anita cancels weekend races as nearby fires burn

Santa Anita has reversed course and called off racing Saturday and Sunday, saying the worsening conditions caused by wildfires in western Los Angeles County compelled the cancellation.

“Santa Anita Park has canceled racing this weekend, given the overnight developments on the west side of L.A.,” the track’s racing office said in a text message sent to horsemen at 7:24 a.m. PST. “As air-quality standards remain well within the limits established by the California Horse Racing Board and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, training will continue this morning as scheduled.”

Five stakes and the rest of Saturday’s California Cup card will have entries retaken Sunday and brought back next Saturday. The Grade 3 Las Ciénegas and its Sunday undercard races were rescheduled for next Sunday with a new draw Monday. The La Cañada (G3), originally scheduled for next Saturday, will be run next Sunday.

Anticipating CHRB approval, a racing date will be added Thursday, Jan. 23. The card canceled Friday already was rescheduled for Thursday next week.

Air quality had improved to the point that track executives offered a cautious go-ahead Friday evening as long as conditions did not change. However, the Palisades fire that wiped out much of the community of Pacific Palisades was spreading toward Brentwood, Encino and West Los Angeles, according to CNN.

The Eaton fire got within six miles of Santa Anita on Tuesday night, but the track has not been under threat since a fueling wind died down Wednesday morning. However, the smoke has been a concern since.

The government air-quality index reached 109 in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday morning, but it was not forecast to go above the unhealthy level of 150. CHRB and HISA guidelines say racing and training should stop if the AQI reaches 175.

Training was allowed Saturday until 10 a.m. PST.

Eleven deaths have been blamed on the five wildfires burning around the Los Angeles area. More than 100,000 people have been forced out of their homes by evacuation orders, according to CNN. Stronger Santa Ana wind that blows westward from the desert has been forecast for Saturday evening into Sunday.

Some of the county-wide relief effort has been relocated to the Santa Anita parking lots. A big drop-off for charities was moved Friday afternoon from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to the south lot at the track. A track statement said the entire north lot was turned over to Southern California Edison as a staging area for its power-restoration efforts.

The National Football League pre-emptively moved a Monday night playoff game out of SoFi Stadium, the former site of Hollywood Park. The game between the Los Angeles Rams and the visiting Minnesota Vikings will be played instead in suburban Phoenix. Basketball and hockey games that would have been hosted Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Clippers, Kings and Lakers were postponed.

Santa Anita emphasized it would not have compromised public-service efforts by holding races. “Santa Anita has its own security staff and unlike many other venues does not use local first responders for normal events,” track officials said in their statement Saturday.