Horse Racing

The manufacturer of the new synthetic track at Santa Anita said Wednesday that drainage problems persist despite a costly repair effort, and that this weekend's racing is now in jeopardy because of predicted heavy rain. The new track, which was installed over the summer at a cost of $11 million, was designed to ensure safety for horses and their riders. But in September, rain at the Arcadia facility exposed the drainage flaw, which led to a three-week renovation last month. Paul Harper, technical director of Cushion Track Footing, which oversaw the original installation, acknowledged Wednesday that the problem did not get solved, even though the renovation cost an estimated $1 million.

The rain came, as expected, but what didn't come was a clear-cut call on whether to cancel racing at Santa Anita today and Sunday. That will come this morning. "We're going to seal the track, and if the rain lets up in the morning, we expect to be racing," Ron Charles, Santa Anita president, said Friday. The rainstorm, expected to be intense through the weekend, and an ongoing drainage problem with the new synthetic track has left racing at the Arcadia facility up in the air.

In what is believed to be an unprecedented move, Santa Anita canceled racing for a second consecutive day Sunday as the troubles caused by heavy rain and an ongoing drainage problem with the racetrack's new synthetic surface worsened. Fans already at the track were informed just before 11:30 a.m. that there would be no live racing, only simulcast racing, and they would get rain checks redeemable on any race day.

Racing is scheduled to resume at Santa Anita today for the first time in six days. The Arcadia track lost an unprecedented three straight race days, Saturday through Monday, because of heavy rains and the ongoing drainage problem with the facility's new synthetic surface. Ron Charles, Santa Anita president, said Wednesday that he had a very productive meeting with trainers and owners to discuss the situation and possible options.

On a picture-perfect Saturday, a Santa Anita crowd of 11,936 was treated to a thrilling photo-finish race in the Grade II San Fernando Stakes as 52-1 longshot Air Commander nipped Johnny Eves at the wire, with favored Tiago finishing third.

As expected, Santa Anita officials announced Tuesday that, in hopes of solving an ongoing drainage problem, the existing synthetic Cushion Track will be repaired rather than replaced with a sandy loam dirt surface. The decision came after extensive testing in Australia and in the civil engineering department lab at USC. "The test results are dramatic and extremely encouraging," Santa Anita President Ron Charles said.

Maggi Moss is accustomed to the wide-open spaces of Iowa, not the traffic congestion she experienced while driving from Beverly Hills to Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Friday afternoon -- the day before a three-day holiday weekend. "I can't believe this traffic," the horse owner said on her cellphone as she drove on the 10 Freeway with her friend and former college roommate, Debbie Long of Lexington, Ky. "It took us forever just to get out of Beverly Hills."

Preakness and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin was named horse of the year Monday night at the 37th Eclipse Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in front of a black-tie crowd and a national TVG audience. Southern California jockey Garrett Gomez earned jockey of the year and Joe Talamo won the award for apprentice jockey. Maggi Moss, the Iowa lawyer profiled in Monday's Times, finished third in the balloting for owner of the year.

The combination of heavy rain and a defective synthetic track has put racing at Santa Anita in jeopardy through the weekend, which includes one of the marquee events of the Arcadia racetrack's winter meet. Scheduled for Saturday are four of the eight races that make up the Sunshine Millions. The other four are scheduled to be run Saturday at Florida's Gulfstream Park. The eight races offer a total of $3.6 million in purses. Entries are limited to horses bred in California and Florida.

A cloud of uncertainty has been hanging over today's marquee Sunshine Millions event essentially since the 71st Santa Anita winter/spring meet opened the day after Christmas. And that cloud is among the dark ones hovering over the horse racing industry in general and Santa Anita in particular.