Santa Anita plans to resume racing Saturday barring a sudden return of smoky conditions caused by the nearby wildfire, executives of the Arcadia track said Friday.

Friday’s races had been postponed until next Thursday (Jan. 16), track management citing the unhealthy air from the Eaton fire burning in neighboring cities as well as the desire to give horsemen and women and others working at Santa Anita time to deal with the effects of the calamity in Los Angeles County communities.

But by Friday afternoon, air quality had improved to well within the California Horse Racing Board’s standards. The air quality index for Arcadia at 2:30 p.m. was 83, in the “moderate” or “acceptable” range. State policy says racing shouldn’t be held if the AQI reading is above 175.

Santa Anita officials continued to monitor air quality but expected to be able to hold Saturday’s 11 races, starting at 11:30 a.m., featuring the California Cup program of five stakes for Cal-bred horses.

It’s an important day: In 2024, the Cal Cup card drew 8,073 fans on-site and $11 million in total wagering. The latter figure was the highest for any day at Santa Anita in the month of January.

After the Eaton fire broke out in Altadena on Tuesday, Santa Anita canceled morning training Wednesday and curtailed it Thursday and Friday.

Santa Anita management said it was distributing N-95 masks and protective eyewear to workers. It also offered financial assistance to trainers who chose to evacuate horses to another facility, but moving horses was widely seen as unneeded.

Executives emphasized that the 90-year-old facility remained miles outside the fire zone and wasn’t in imminent danger.