SANTA ANITA ANNOUNCES POSTPONEMENT OF FRIDAY RACING PROGRAM, WEEKEND STAKES SCHEDULE ADJUSTED AS CONTINUED RAIN IS FORECAST

By Mike Willman —-

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 26, 2021)—With strong rains predicted to hit Southern California over the next several days, Santa Anita Park has made the decision to proactively cancel its Friday program, effective Tuesday morning. Friday’s entries were originally scheduled to close this past Sunday, but track management opted to wait until Tuesday in order to better evaluate the weather forecast.

In addition to Friday’s cancellation, given the amount of rain predicted over the next few days, two turf stakes, the Grade II San Marcos on Saturday and the $75,000 Baffle on Sunday, will now be shifted to next week. The 6 ½ furlong Baffle will be run on Friday, Feb. 5, and the mile and one quarter San Marcos is now set for Saturday, Feb. 6.

“The models are showing us three straight days of rain, with the heaviest hitting around noon on Friday,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “We’ve discussed it with our stakeholders and cancelling Friday in advance provides horsemen, fans and employees the best scenario to plan accordingly.”

Santa Anita will schedule extra races throughout the next racing week to make up for those that were originally scheduled for this Friday.

With entries scheduled to be taken Wednesday, Jan. 27, racing will resume at Santa Anita this Saturday, Jan. 30. A pair of important main track stakes, the Grade III, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis, a key prep to the Santa Anita Derby and the Grade II, $200,000 San Pasqual, an iconic precursor to the Santa Anita Handicap, will highlight Saturday’s racing.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horseracing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The company’s consumer facing brand 1/ST (pronounced “First”) powers The Stronach Group’s forward-thinking 1/ST RACING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST LIVE and 1/ST PROPERTIES businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING drives the best-in-class horseracing operations at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, and Gulfstream Park West (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the newly formed operating group for all of 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, GWS and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is horseracing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST LIVE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality by delivering uniquely curated events such as InfieldFest and Pegasus LIV Stretch Village. 1/ST PROPERTIES is responsible for the development of the company’s live, work and play communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred horseracing on and off the track. For more information please visit www.1st.com.