Santa Anita decision between Noon-12:30p

[Alan07]

http://santaanita.com/content/workout-webcam

[Scav]

The horseman out there have to be ready to hang themselves. Ole Frank's luck has been horrible lately.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

Huge Bucks In The Gulf Pools Today..

[Kasept]

Santa Anita decision will come between 12-12:30p EST.

Doesn't look too good right now. They are watching a band of storms that would deliver another 1-2 inches if it hits. If it should avoid Arcadia, there is a chance they will run...

[The Indomitable DrugS]

This from Crist's recent article ...

In its first 74 years of racing on dirt, Santa Anita canceled four cards due to rain. In three years of synthetics, it has had to cancel racing 17 times.

I realize that 4 times in 74 years means that Santa Anita cancelled a card for rain once every 18.5 years ... but even that number is friggen absurdly high. I'd really like to know more about the circumstances surrounding those four cards.

Its cloudy and in the 60s right now here in Scottsdale, with chances of rain later in the day. Turf Paradise should be good today, tommorrow who knows.

[Alan07]

Getting more rain...

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I realize that 4 times in 74 years means that Santa Anita cancelled a card for rain once every 18.5 years ... but even that number is friggen absurdly high. I'd really like to know more about the circumstances surrounding those four cards.

The number that is being quoted 'pre-synthetic' era is actually inaccurate.

Santa Anita has had six cancelled cards since 1934: Jan. 16 & 18, 1952; Jan. 20-21, 1993; and Jan. 11-12, 1995. Additionally, 2 other cards cancelled after one race on 1/8/95 and 1/9/05.

Though I can't find the specifics, washouts or uneven surface/unsafe riding conditions appear to have been the causes.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Kasept

The number that is being quoted 'pre-synthetic' era is actually inaccurate.

Santa Anita has had six cancelled cards since 1934: Jan. 16 & 18, 1952; Jan. 20-21, 1993; and Jan. 11-12, 1995. Additionally, 2 other cards cancelled after one race on 1/8/95 and 1/9/05.

Though I can't find the specifics, washouts or uneven surface/unsafe riding conditions appear to have been the causes.

I'm sure it was some heavy rainstorm ... they ran a claiming race on the turf on Jan 22nd 1993.

[my miss storm cat]

I'm 25 minutes from SA. It's absolutely pouring here...

[The Indomitable DrugS]

^

Pac-10 linebacker mentality.

If they scheduled the major late Dec and early Jan Bowl games in real weather ... the Big-10 would still be mighty as ever.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I'm sure it was some heavy rainstorm ... they ran a claiming race on the turf on Jan 22nd 1993.

So you're saying that because they used the the turf on the 22nd it precludes rain being responsible for the 20th-21st cancels?

[Alan07]

Cancelled

[mclem0822]

Guess the Magna 5 is toast once again as well?

[lemoncrush]

Originally Posted by mclem0822

Guess the Magna 5 is toast once again as well?

Yep....unbelievable. Just heard the Magna is cancelled as well.
This winter has been brutal on racing.

3 of the first 5 magna 5's cancelled this year. That's hard to believe.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Kasept

So you're saying that because they used the the turf on the 22nd it precludes rain being responsible for the 20th-21st cancels?

No ... I'm saying that because a field of claimers ran over a turf course listed as "good" (not soft or yielding) on the 22nd ... it shows that the rain was hardly overwhelming. Nice try.

Wasn't that right around the time that future training sensation Gary Stevens had a fall or two and cried like a girl about how the track was the most unsafe in the country?

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

No ... I'm saying that because a field of claimers ran over a turf course listed as "good" (not soft or yielding) on the 22nd ... it shows that the rain was hardly overwhelming. Nice try.

Wasn't that right around the time that future training sensation Gary Stevens had a fall or two and cried like a girl about how the track was the most unsafe in the country?

Could be. I'll keep looking through the articles where I found the dates to see if there's more detail on any of the cancellations.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Could be. I'll keep looking through the articles where I found the dates to see if there's more detail on any of the cancellations.

call the 'hammer'

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

call the 'hammer'

He was at Monmouth then... Not sure who was Rac. Secretary at SA during that era.

Rollo may know?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

..

Santa Anita Postpones Two Racing Cards
Weather: Track officials hope to resume the meeting on Friday, after the surface has dried.
January 19, 1993|BILL CHRISTINE , TIMES STAFF WRITER

In keeping with the unusual happenings of the strangest winter meeting in years, Santa Anita announced before the improvised 11-race card began Monday that racing for Wednesday and Thursday, normally the next two racing days, had been postponed because of continued rain-related difficulty filling fields.

"We could have put together a card for Wednesday with 50 or so horses," said Cliff Goodrich, president at Santa Anita. "But then we would have been backed up for Thursday's card, with a probable shortage of horses.

"Rather than start something that would have led to additional problems a day or two down the road, we decided to wait until Friday. The weather forecast is the best I've heard for some time, but I'll believe it when I see it."

There has been about 20 inches of rain at Santa Anita since the meeting opened on Dec. 26, severely restricting the availability of the main track during morning training hours and forcing suspension of all turf racing since Jan. 1.

Monday, the main track was closed to workouts as superintendent Steve Wood's crew worked to make the surface race-ready for the afternoon's abbreviated card. The training track, which was overloaded with workouts last week, was used by only nine horses Monday, according to the workout tab.

On Sunday, when a cloudburst hit the track late in the day, the jockeys voted unanimously not to ride in the last race and it was canceled. They were ready to work again after the track was repaired Monday.

The cancellation because of a jockey action of Sunday's last race is believed to be a first in Santa Anita history.

"I go back about 50 years and I can't recall any," steward Pete Pedersen said.

Santa Anita has reported that there have been 17 consecutive off-tracks, all of the racing dates since Dec. 27, breaking the track record of 15. But the Daily Racing Form differs, saying its charts indicate all of the races on Jan. 1 were run on fast tracks. That would leave the string of consecutive off-tracks at 13.