Santa Anita cancels New Year's Day races due to heavy rain
ARCADIA, Calif. (CNS) -- Santa Anita Park canceled its New Year's Day racing program Sunday due to heavy rain in the area.
Racing is tentatively scheduled to resume Monday with 10 races. The first post is scheduled for noon.
Track officials said all tickets sold for Sunday will be fully refunded automatically with no further action required by purchasers.
Santa Anita's director of racing, Chris Merz, said 1.5 inches of rain fell on the main track, which was sealed at the conclusion of Saturday's nine- race card. Sunday's feature, the Grade III, $200,000 Santa Ynez for 2-year-old fillies, was rescheduled for Jan. 8.
Four of Sunday's overnight races that were canceled -- races 3, 5, 6 and 8 -- will be brought back as "extras" for Friday's card, which was being drawn Sunday. According to Merz, with another substantial rainstorm forecast to hit the area midweek, there will likely be no turf racing Friday.
The Corgi Winter Nationals, which was set to be held in the infield, was rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19. Pre-purchased tickets have already been transferred to the new date.
In Cypress, Los Alamitos Race Course was planning to hold its scheduled 10-race program Sunday night, with the first post at 5 p.m. Los Alamitos also held races Saturday night despite rainfall in the area that caused a wet track.
In the ninth race Saturday night, a 3-year-old filly named Famous Miss Kitty was injured past the wire and euthanized, according to track officials.
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