LOS ANGELES — A resurgence of wildfires on the west side of Los Angeles has led to new evacuations and resulted in the cancellation of horse racing at Santa Anita this weekend. After assessing air quality conditions on Friday, the track in Arcadia, which is close to the Eaton fire that severely impacted Altadena, initially planned to hold races on Saturday.
However, track officials announced early Saturday that, in light of developments regarding the Palisades fire, they would scrap plans for racing this weekend. Although the air quality at the venue remained within acceptable limits established by the California Horse Racing Board and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the team cited the increasing effects of the wildfires across Los Angeles County as a major concern.
Santa Anita, which has been operational for 90 years, is also serving as a hub for multiple relief initiatives. A charity drop-off location that was initially set up at the Rose Bowl was transferred to the track’s south parking lot. Additionally, Southern California Edison has established a basecamp in the north parking lot to aid the restoration of power to regions affected by the fires. The track is collaborating with various organizations that have requested space for their efforts.
Despite these challenges, morning training will proceed as planned over the weekend, with the track relying on its own security staff rather than local emergency services for routine events. The dates for rescheduled races will be announced at a later time.
In related news, the ongoing wildfires have caused disruptions in college basketball as well. Pepperdine University has postponed its men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader scheduled for Saturday due to the Palisades fire and the travel difficulties impacting Loyola Marymount’s arrangements. Even though there are no direct threats to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus — located approximately 2.5 miles from the fire — access is limited to the north side, and the Pacific Coast Highway south of the campus remains closed. Both Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount are working with the West Coast Conference to find new dates for their games.
Meanwhile, the University of Southern California is preparing to hold its Big Ten women’s basketball game against Penn State on Sunday night, with officials closely monitoring the circumstances.
