Wildfires Force Santa Anita to Postpone Friday Card

Santa Anita Park has postponed the Friday, Jan. 10, racing program to Thursday, Jan. 16, because of poor air quality in the San Gabriel Valley caused by wildfires that have displaced workers and fans. The California Horse Racing Board has approved this proactive rescheduling of the 10-race card. The races will be run with the horses previously entered in the post position order originally drawn. "While Santa Anita continues to remain well outside of any active fire area, the smoke from the wildfires is affecting all of Los Angeles County," said Santa Anita general manager and senior vice president Nate Newby. "We also want to respect the impact that this tragedy has had on many of our community, including our horsemen and women and our own Santa Anita team who have been devastated by these fires. By proactively moving the races, it gives our horsemen and women, horseplayers, fans, and our team the opportunity to plan accordingly." A decision on this weekend's racing program, including Saturday's 11-race California Cup program, will be made Friday. The current California Horse Racing Board policy states that live racing should be canceled in the event that the Air Quality Index is above 175. As of noon PT Thursday, the air quality in the area stood at an "unhealthy" rating of 187. After being closed Tuesday and Wednesday for training, the track was open for horses to gallop or jog Thursday morning, with no speed work or breezing. Although the air quality index read 172 at 6:30 a.m. PT, the rating climbed beyond the CHRB prohibited level of 175 later in the morning, which meant the last hour of training was limited to joggers only. Also Wednesday morning, Santa Anita began distributing N-95 masks to all backstretch and frontstretch personnel, as well as protective eyewear, because of the smoke from the Eaton Fire. Though Santa Anita was never in any imminent danger from the fire, the track has offered assistance to trainers who wished to voluntarily evacuate their horses to another CHRB facility. ROLLINS: Wildfires Erupt Near Santa Anita Park The series of wildfires, powered by Santa Ana winds that earlier this week reached speeds of up to 100 mph, have wreaked havoc across Southern California since erupting Tuesday night. As of Thursday afternoon, officials reported that the wildfires had burned more than 29,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures. At least five people have died. A majority of the wildfires, including the Eaton Fire that touched down close to Santa Anita Park, have zero containment. Many of those who call the neighboring areas of Santa Anita Park home lost their houses in the fire's devastation. "So many have lost so much," Santa Anita senior vice president and executive producer Amy Zimmerman wrote on X Thursday morning. "Thoughts are with the Santa Anita Park racing family and our neighbors." According to a report from NBC News, nearly 180,000 people were under evacuation orders due to the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Lidia fires in Los Angeles County. Another 200,000 are under evacuation warnings.