Santa Anita makes track adjustments

Santa Anita maintenance crews spent Monday and Tuesday turning over its synthetic Pro-Ride surface after an examination determined the track was firmer than it was during the recent Oak Tree meet.

Ian Pearse, managing director for the Australia-based Pro-Ride, was brought in to assess the synthetic track after there were five horse breakdowns, including three fatalities, in the first four days of the Santa Anita fall meeting.

“We didn’t find anything we thought was too wrong, but we did find the track’s density was higher than we liked,” he said. “Can I attribute that to injuries? It’s hard to determine. It was a little firmer than Oak Tree, but it wasn’t something I’d say is a problem. The difference is you have 1,500 horses training six days a week, plus racing.”

Pearse said cold weather combined with rain probably changed the track, but he expressed confidence in the maintenance procedures, which will include a daily routine in which crews will use a device to determine the surface’s firmness.

“The top of the surface was fine, but underneath, we’re not sure if it was firmer or harder or inconsistent,” he said.

Pearse said he intends to stay for a couple days of racing this week to continue his track assessment. “I want to see horses training over it and racing over it,” he said.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com