Santa Anita Surface Concerns CHRB

With a month left in its current winter meeting, Santa Anita is continuing to work with the California Thoroughbred Trainers and the California Horse Racing Board on its new dirt surface.

“The track has yet to stabilize as to the sand, silt, and clay content,” said Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director for the CHRB. “That is not unusual when you put in a new track.”

Arthur reported that through training hours of March 17, seven racing fatalities had occurred on the main track, which included a horse that fell over a downed horse that had clipped heels. Another six fatalities occurred during training, including one horse injured in a collision with another horse and one sudden death. Five racing fatalities have occurred on the turf course and no training fatalities on the training track.

Those figures prompted CHRB chairman Keith Brackpool to address the issue briefly at the start of the board’s March 14 meeting at Santa Anita.