Santa Anita canceled thoroughbred racing Wednesday and Thursday because of the latest storm expected in Southern California, the track announced Wednesday morning.
The Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 rainouts cap a week of weather disruptions at Santa Anita, which delayed the first two days of its winter-spring season from Dec. 26-27 to Dec. 28-29.
Some races from the latest canceled days will be used in a makeup card being added Thursday, Jan. 8, Santa Anita said in an “attention horsemen” message after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
For now, racing is expected to go ahead Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but a Santa Anita executive said forecasts are being monitored.
AccuWeather’s forecast Wednesday morning showed a 75% chance of rain in Arcadia in the hours before the scheduled first race at noon, and rain chances of 100% Thursday, 84% Friday, 25% Saturday and 88% Sunday.
Tracks used to routinely hold racing on muddy tracks, but rainouts have become protocol in California since a spike in fatal injuries to horses in early 2019 during a winter of unusually sustained wet weather.
The postponement of opening day from last Friday to Sunday didn’t stop a crowd of 41,962, bigger than usual, from turning out for an afternoon highlighted by wins by Goal Oriented in the Malibu Stakes and Nysos in the Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes.