Three days after a wildfire threatened Santa Anita, the air
has cleared enough to allow weekend races to go forward, track management cautiously
announced Friday after a long day of meetings involving officials and
stakeholders.

“Based on current conditions, racing will resume as
scheduled (Saturday) with an 11:30 a.m. (PST) first post,” a text from the
Santa Anita racing office said Friday at 5:43 p.m. PST. “We will continue to
monitor (the air quality index via) AirNow.gov per the California Horse Racing Board inclement-weather
policy and will update if conditions change.”

Five stakes are set to go ahead the California Cup card
Saturday. There was no immediate decision about the Grade 3 Las Ciénegas and
the other races already drawn for Sunday.

Friday races were postponed six days in anticipation of
smoky conditions. By evening the government’s air-quality index read 81, a
level considered moderate. It was 87 during the middle of the afternoon. Those figures
were improvements from the 187 the day before, but an increase to 100-150 was in the
forecast for Saturday.

The track was open to jogging and galloping Friday morning,
but breezes were not allowed. Federal and state guidelines call for a stop to
racing and training if the AQI rises above 175.

“Workouts will be permitted (Saturday) morning unless an adverse change to air quality occurs,” the racing office said in a 6:17 p.m. PST text. “The AQI will be reviewed throughout the morning, and training may be adjusted if necessary.”

The Eaton fire, which came within about six miles of the
Santa Anita property Tuesday night, was not considered a threat to the
racetrack after fueling wind calmed considerably Wednesday. It still killed at
least five people, destroyed 5,000 buildings and covered 21 square miles in the
San Gabriel foothills, Cal Fire said Friday evening. Only 3% of the burn was
contained.

Among the more than 100,000 people who have been forced from
their homes due to the ongoing Eaton fire were many in the Santa Anita
community. Thankfully, the track itself and the more than 1,800 horses stabled
on the grounds have not been threatened. Still, the impact has been devastating
for many at Santa Anita.

Agent Mike Ciani confirmed two-time Kentucky Derby-winning
jockey Mario Gutiérrez is among those who lost their home to the fire. Many
others had to flee and simply hope for the best. Trainers Michael McCarthy,
Phil D’Amato, Dan Blacker and Tim Yakteen were among those who heeded the
evacuation orders.

Blacker, who is married to FanDuel TV on-air personality
Christina Blacker, said he and his family left their Pasadena home near where
the Eaton fire started on Tuesday night.

“My family is fine. Our house is fine,” Blacker said. “We
still haven’t gone back as the power is still out. The whole thing is so sad.
I’m just thankful we’re all OK and the horses here are all Ok. There are a lot
of houses near ours that just aren’t there anymore.”

Yakteen had to leave his home in Monrovia along with wife
Millie Ball, who is part of Santa Anita’s on-air simulcast team, and their two
sons.

“We had to evacuate and are still without power, but it’s
nothing compared to what some of these other families have had to endure. We’re
very fortunate,” Yakteen said.

The Eaton fire forced all training activities at Santa Anita
to be canceled Wednesday. Santa Anita also notified trainers that if they
wanted to voluntarily evacuate their horses, they would be relocated to another
California Horse Racing Board-sanctioned facility.

“Santa Anita has done a great job keeping everyone
informed,” Blacker said. “We’ve also had the fire marshal here keeping everyone
informed. It’s not an easy process to navigate. As concerning as all this has
been, everything here seems like it’s getting back to normal.”

The four wildfires that broke out this week around Los
Angeles County have been blamed for 10 deaths, 10,000 burned-down structures
and evacuations that have affected 153,000 people.

The National Football League pre-emptively moved a Monday
night playoff game out of SoFi Stadium, the former site of Hollywood Park. The
game between the Los Angeles Rams and the visiting Minnesota Vikings will be
played instead in suburban Phoenix.