Rain could put a hold on Santa Anita racing

The manufacturer of the new synthetic track at Santa Anita said Wednesday that drainage problems persist despite a costly repair effort, and that this weekend’s racing is now in jeopardy because of predicted heavy rain.

The new track, which was installed over the summer at a cost of $11 million, was designed to ensure safety for horses and their riders. But in September, rain at the Arcadia facility exposed the drainage flaw, which led to a three-week renovation last month.

Paul Harper, technical director of Cushion Track Footing, which oversaw the original installation, acknowledged Wednesday that the problem did not get solved, even though the renovation cost an estimated $1 million.

Harper, who said that mistakes were made in the materials that were used, added that the cancellation of racing is a possibility.

“We’re going to make every effort to see that that doesn’t happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over Santa Anita.

Workers this morning will spend about four hours applying an additive to the artificial surface that consists of a mixture of sand, fibers, recycled rubber, wax and other ingredients, Harper said.

“We’re hoping that will allow racing to continue even if we get the heavy rain that is predicted,” said Harper, who added that after more testing, the plan now is to apply a different type of wax to the sand next week that should help it repel moisture and allow drainage.

“We’re very hopeful that will take care of the problem,” Harper said.

According to Harper, specifications for the Santa Anita surface called for it to hold up to temperatures in excess of 110 degrees, which is 20 degrees higher than the specifications for Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track. That meant using a wax with a higher melting point.

In addition, Harper said trainers and jockeys complained that the rival synthetic Polytrack at Del Mar was slower for races later in the day than it was for morning workouts. That, he said, was because the wax would soften in the heat of the afternoon. Cushion Track tried to avoid that problem at Santa Anita with a wax more resistant to heat.

That wax and the use of a finer sand are behind the drainage problem, according to Harper. The sand was applied to a hot asphalt base but unexpectedly penetrated that surface, which in turn became less porous.

That problem was discovered during a rainstorm a few days before the start of the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita on Sept. 26. Most of that sand was removed from the asphalt during the renovation project.

There is still fine sand in the mixture, but Harper is hopeful that applying a different wax will help it drain.

Harper said that making the track withstand high temperatures was a mistake, and that the material used at Hollywood Park should have been used at Santa Anita. He said he believes that the higher San Gabriel Valley temperatures can be dealt with through a different “maintenance schedule.”

In a news release issued by Cushion Track on Wednesday, Harper was quoted as saying, “Over the past few weeks and following extensive efforts, the drainage has improved.”

However, a Santa Anita source said the improvement is minimal -- that the fine sand still included in the mixture gums up when hit with rain and doesn’t allow water to drain vertically.

Harper said that if a remedy can’t be achieved, Cushion Track will install a new surface after Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, which is scheduled to end April 20. He said Cushion Track would absorb those costs, which according to a source might be about $4 million.

Ron Charles, Santa Anita president, said that if a new surface has to be installed, that project probably wouldn’t take place until the Del Mar summer meet.

Charles said that if race days are lost, the track might apply to the California Horse Racing Board for additional dates. It was the CHRB that decided in 2006 to require installation of synthetic surfaces at major tracks to make them safer.

As for canceling race days, Charles said he hoped that a decision wouldn’t have to be made until after Friday’s races. However, heavier-than-expected rains could require a decision before then. The last time rain caused cancellations at Santa Anita was in February 2005.

Said Charles: “I want to assure horsemen, fans and most importantly the riders we will do everything we can to provide them with a safe racing surface this weekend.”

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larry.stewart@latimes.com