Los Alamitos cancels races after fire at San Luis Rey Downs

Given the tragedy that occurred 70 miles South at the San Luis Rey Downs training center, Los Alamitos has announced cancellation of its Friday afternoon Thoroughbred card.

The Cypress, Calif., track does not anticipate changes are coming for its Saturday card, which includes the Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity and Starlet Stakes. Both races drew fields of five that do not initially appear to include horses stabled at San Luis Rey.

What local officials have dubbed the Lilac Fire spread Thursday to San Luis Rey, where more than 400 horses trained by Southern California’s top trainers call home. With the blaze burning barns, horsemen were forced to turn horses loose rather than have them burn.

Horses were continuing to be evacuated Thursday night from San Luis Rey to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The amount of equine casualties is unknown.

Los Alamitos will on Friday continue running its evening Quarter Horse and partial Thoroughbred card.

“This is a tragic blow to the California Thoroughbred racing industry and of great sorrow to everyone,” said Jack Liebau, vice-president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “We express our sympathy to the owners, trainers and caretakers of the horses victimized by this tragic event. We salute those who so bravely attempted to safeguard horses at San Luis Rey Downs in face of the swiftly approaching fire as well as those who transported horses to Del Mar under hazardous conditions and those who went to Del Mar to aid the horses moved there.”