Santa Anita releases condition book; what about the Derby?
As promised, Santa Anita Park on Thursday released a condition book laying out next month's racing calendar should the Arcadia, Calif., track receive the needed approvals to reopen on May 15.
Santa Anita is hoping to run behind closed doors once California's "safer-at-home" mandate ends after the local health department in March declared racing a non-essential business. Morning training has continued in the meantime.
Racing would continue on a Friday-Sunday basis along with Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, and include eight stakes races:
May 16
$150,000 Echo Eddie (Cal-breds)
$150,000 Evening Jewel (Cal-breds)
May 17
$100,000 Desert Stormer (G3)
May 23
$100,000 Daytona Stakes (G3)
$200,000 Charlie Whittingham (G2)
May 25
$200,000 Monrovia (G2)
$300,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1)
$300,000 Gamely (G1)
Absent from that list are spring Santa Anita staples such as the Santa Anita Derby (G1), Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G2). Ron Flatter, reporting for the Vegas Stats and Information Network, tweeted that the Santa Anita Derby is expected on June 6:
Santa Anita did race for a time behind closed doors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic before shut down. Upon reopening, the track has devised further social distancing measures and proposed having its jockeys live in housing at the track.