Santa Anita postpones weekend racing as track is staging area for fire relief efforts
An American flag hangs on the gate of a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A flareup of the wildfire on the west side of Los Angeles that prompted new evacuations has caused Santa Anita to cancel horse racing this weekend.
The track in Arcadia, near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena, had said Friday that it would go ahead with Saturday racing, pending air quality conditions.
However, track officials said early Saturday that given the Friday night developments involving the Palisades fire, there will be no racing this weekend.
They said air quality standards at the track remain well within the limits set by the California Horse Racing Board and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, but cited the growing impact of the fires throughout Los Angeles County.
The sprawling 90-year-old track is being used to support several relief efforts.
The charity drop-off that was set up at the Rose Bowl was relocated to Santa Anita’s south parking lot on Friday. Southern California Edison is using the entire north parking lot as its basecamp to restore power to those in the affected areas. The track is working with other organizations requesting space.
Morning training will continue as scheduled Saturday and Sunday. The track has its own security staff and does not use local first responders for normal events.
Rescheduled dates for the postponed races will be announced later.
Wildfires impact college basketball
Pepperdine postponed its men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader on Saturday, citing the ongoing Palisades fire and travel conditions in Los Angeles that have impacted Loyola Marymount’s plans.
There are no immediate threats posed to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus by the fire, which remains about 2 1/2 miles away. However, access to campus is restricted to the north side. Pacific Coast Highway south of campus is closed.
Pepperdine and LMU are coordinating with the West Coast Conference to reschedule the games.
Meanwhile, USC is planning to play its Big Ten women’s game between the fourth-ranked Trojans and Penn State on Sunday night. Officials are monitoring conditions, a spokesperson said.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports