Track renovation complete at Santa Anita

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Historic Santa Anita Park has completed its major renovation of the main track and will open for training on Tuesday, Sept 2, ahead of Santa Anita's 2014 Autumn Meet beginning Friday, Sept. 26.

The track is now made up of El Segundo Sand, which is "a naturally occurring, indigenous soil." The material was excavated from Los Angeles International Airport where construction projects are taking place.

"It's been my experience that the best surfaces around the country are all comprised of naturally occurring soils that are typically indigenous and not made by man," said Track Superintendent Dennis Moore. "This entire project has gone even better than any of us had hoped for. We've removed and installed about 21,000 yards of material and we are extremely pleased with its uniformity and with the way it's settled in.

"We expect this new surface will provide the safest and most consistent playing field available for our horses, riders and the betting public. That said, we all know that in this business, there will always be issues from time to time. We're excited to get horses on it and we look forward to opening day Sept. 26."

Moore was hired by Santa Anita last December after his tenure at the now- closed Hollywood Park.