Santa Anita race track Park's new dirt track survived the torrential rain that fell in the area and is primed for Sunday's opening race program.

The track reopened for training Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning five horses had timed works, just one on Wednesday and 23 horses worked out Thursday morning.

The test drives for horses on Santa Anita’s new dirt track — which opened for training Dec. 6 — were rudely interrupted by more than 12 inches of torrential rains that pelted the foothills of the greened-up San Gabriel Mountains. Track superintendent Richard Tedesco oversaw a tight sealing of the muddy racetrack, preventing a disaster.

Frank Stronach, chairman of Santa Anita’s parent company MI Developments, ordered the surface switch to dirt, away from the California Horse Racing Board’s mandated synthetic track (Cushion and then Pro-Ride) that was installed here in the summer of 2007. The track also lost 16 days of racing over the last two winters because the synthetic surface didn’t properly drain.

Worse, the synthetic track became a polarizing subject in the industry. Owners and trainers with talented horses refused to train or race their horses on it. Hollywood Park and Del Mar will continue racing on their synthetic tracks, but the return to dirt — actually 86 percent sand, 8 percent clay and 6 percent silt — at Santa Anita has owners, trainers and jockeys excited. “The rain has slowed us up, but the track, it’s like the old days, like the ’50s and ’60s,” said veteran trainer Bruce Headley, an outspoken critic of synthetic tracks. “Horses evolved on dirt, and this is what they’re supposed to race on. Headley’s daughter, Karen, who assists him in training, also rides horses daily. She sees a huge difference riding on dirt as opposed to synthetics.

“When you ride a horse on synthetics, it’s like riding on square wheels. Trainer Carla Gaines’ horses have had success on both dirt and synthetic tracks, but she prefers to see her horses on dirt.

We love this track. Trainer Clifford Sise grew up a few furlongs from the Arcadia track. “The horses are really taking to this track. I worked my horses, and they all came back great. Rick Arthur, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, thus far has been impressed with the new dirt surface.

“I think the track looks great,” he said. Arthur was asked whether California racing is opening itself to heavy criticism if the new dirt track results in more horse fatalities. A recent two-year study by the Jockey Club shows that racing fatalities continue to decrease on all surfaces, but especially synthetic tracks.

“In terms of racing fatalities, there’s no question that synthetics do reduce racing fatalities,” Arthur said. George Haines, president and general manager of Santa Anita, knows he faces industrywide scrutiny for switching racing surfaces.

“We’re still learning about this track,” he said. “Ted Malloy (project manager) did a great job installing it, and Richard Tedesco will do a great job maintaining it.

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