The 2005 Southern California racing season began with a series of storms that dumped about 6 inches of rain across the Santa Anita . Park. However, the program continues and there are races on multiple wet tracks on January 5-8. Sunday, January 9, is forecast with only light rain, so there is hope that the sports week can be completed without interruption. The requirement to race is strong. There hasn’t been a weather-related cancellation in 10 years.
The track has been sealed, floated and sealed again in an attempt to prevent water from entering. Five horses trailed in the first race of the day—all five 4-year-old girls—on a surface that was rated “sloppy”. Only four of them made it back. Unusual dawn, a gelding started for the 16th time, broke a leg at the beginning of the ramp and died. Half an hour later, after consulting with jockey players, management canceled the rest of the show.
There have been worse days, but fortunately not too many. The conditions for the January afternoon were sketchy, but the game of rolling the dice, as it had happened so many times before, only this time a horse had to pay the ultimate price to keep it. the show continues. A gloom can be felt over the local racing community.
Nate Newby, general manager of Santa Anita, was a member of the marketing team in 2005 and therefore did not make any decisions on whether to race or not to race, compared to what happened in the previous two years. the three-day weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. , with cancellations on January 14 and 16.
Newby was walking around his nearly deserted stands on Saturday, facing losing two ripe betting shows. He seems oddly optimistic, but Newby is the type to always look for the lucky ones.
“By the end of today, we could have more than 12 inches of rain in the last two weeks,” Newby said. “I think we’re lucky to have only lost one race day before this weekend. And we have the ability to make up for any lost days, as shorter race weeks bring more days on the calendar.
New Nate
“At the end of the day, our first priority is safety,” Newby added. “The track is sealed, but it has the potential to bounce back when we can open it. However, once it’s sealed, there will be racing board policy.”
After the 2019 season, where track conditions in extreme winter weather contributed to the deaths of 24 horses in the Santa Anita winter-spring encounter, all sides convened to create A Severe Weather Policy is enforced with the power of California Horse Racing Planks. This policy includes the suspension of races and training for issues such as high winds (in the event of sustained winds at 38 mph and/or gusts above 50 mph), thunder and lightning. (when detected within an eight-mile radius of the track) and temperature (determined by the Combined Thermal Stress Index of temperature and humidity).
The most common application of this policy is activated when the dirt track must be sealed to prevent moisture from entering the substrate. To be witty:
“Any decision to race on a closed or floating track will be made on the basis of the Race Director’s determination that, in their professional opinion, the resulting track surface is safe for racing. The decision will also provide that conducting the race will not jeopardize the safe conduct of the race or training on the days following the inclement weather event. unanimous agreement of a committee consisting of the Race Director, the Association General Manager, the Jockeys Association Representative and the Safety Manager subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors.”
“The decision has to be by all four groups before we can race,” said Newby, adding that CHRB Horse Medical Director, California Thoroughbred Owner and California Thoroughbred Trainer be present when such decisions need to be made.
As a result, rainy racing days will be canceled in California to allow business to resume normally in other parts of the country. Newby will occasionally see a wise saying on social media wondering why the West Coast has let a bit of water hold back. Such attitudes have conveniently forgotten the ropes that left the California race dangling after the 2019 deaths, besieged from all sides by politicians and animal rights groups. The imperative to race at all costs is no longer possible, and the Severe Weather Policy has served to spread the decision-making process among the best-informed parties.
It’s not always like that. Over the years, jockeys have been used as handy scapegoats when track conditions are affected by inclement weather. When shows are canceled — because they were in Santa Anita for the last three races on March 16, 2016 — the announcement usually comes with a variation of “jockeys who refuse to ride.”
The deafening chorus still seems to persist across the country, in an attempt to remove regulation:
“A demonstration of the state of Honeysuckle the track’s jockeys were forced to cancel the first race on the November 14 card of the Toronto circuit.”—November 14, 2018, BloodHorse.com.
“Sunday’s last five races aqueduct the card was canceled when the jockeys refused to ride, citing icy conditions.”—December 1, 2019, Racing Daily Form.
“The Remington Park jockey colony called a meeting with track management with 10 minutes to first post time on Saturday night. After examining the track surface, the jockeys have decided not to ride.”—October 29, 2022, press release.
No one minimizes the loss of racing opportunities for owners, trainers, jockeys and riders. Appearance can be temporary, inconsistent from canceled card to rescheduled date. While the track will be able to run for days, Santa Anita will gross about $15 million combined on Saturday and Monday of the holiday weekend. However, with the balance needed for racing to survive in today’s cultural environment, it can be a hard pill to swallow, but also a small price to pay.
