Oak Tree will not meet at Santa Anita This Year – Track Safety Concerns Cited

The California Horse Racing Board starved of an application Thursday for the Oak Tree Racing Association to run its fall meet at Santa Anita Park.

It has been a difficult time for horse racing in general and for Santa Anita Park in particular.

Many contributing factors which include lower attendance and few race horses have beleaguered the industry as a whole but moreover the state mandated synthetic tracks have caused innumerable problems and complains from horse owners around the world.

During last year’s Cal Cup at Santa Anita at least one horse was euthanized after it broke a leg on the track. Another horse, Grazen, ridden by Garrett Gomez, was pulled up when Gomez realized the horse was having difficulty with the synthetic track.

The representatives said they preferred to run the meet at Hollywood Park.

Before the meet could take place at Santa Anita, the TOC would have to sign a horsemen’s agreement with the racing association.

Oak Tree officials must now resubmit an application. A race track expert, Michael Peterson, presented his preliminary findings of an inspection of the Santa Anita Track about which he had “concerns.”

Photographs By Terry Miller

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