Santa Anita . Park canceled its New Year’s Day racing program because persistent rain drenched Southern California throughout Saturday night and into early Sunday morning. The rain started as a light drizzle on Saturday morning but intensified throughout the duration of the program, lasting through the night.
The race will resume at Santa Anita on January 2, with 10 races and the first leg at 12 noon.
The popular Corgi Winter Nationals, scheduled to be held in the courtyard, has been rescheduled for February 19. Pre-purchased tickets have been moved to a new date.
Riders and horsemen have been overwhelmingly supportive of Santa Anita’s 2022-23 Classic Encounter. An all-time handling record was set for Opening Day with over $26 million staked all sources. The crowd of 41,446 on December 26 was the largest gathering on the road for a non-Breeders’ Cup day since 2016. The strength of the handle continued on Friday and Saturday, with more than 10.6 million dollars on Friday and over $11.4 million on Saturday, all sources. Combined with Opening Day, Santa Anita Park handled nearly $50 million in the first three days of the season.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
