Old Salem May shows cancelled, Santa Anita to be closed throuh the weekend, Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita sale cancelled

Details: March 31, 2020; By Staff Writers

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. --Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows made the difficult decision to cancel its US Equestrian (USEF) premier event scheduled for May 5-10 and May 12-17.

racing generic Santa Anita racing at Santa Anita"Being back at Old Salem Farm after being away for the past seven years, my team and I had been working hard to make this year’s show extra special,” said Scott Hakim, president of Old Salem Farm. “It was deeply disappointing for all of us to make the decision to cancel the first Old Salem Farm Spring Horse shows in over 40 years. However, I am confident that we made the right decision. The health of our community is our priority. We are already looking at additional dates to add to our schedule and will be back as soon as the time is right.”

Mark your calendars for three weeks of USEF-rated Level 2 and 3 competitions Sept. 8-13, 15-19 and 23-27.

THE REGION 1 and 2 ASPCA NHSAA Maclay Championships will be held Sept. 19.

More information about these shows will be available in the coming weeks.

Old Salem Farm will proceed to plan our summer horse shows with options for all levels.

We will keep you informed and please check the Old Salem Farm website for updates.

SANTA ANITA Park announced Tuesday that it will remain closed for live racing through at least the weekend, prompting the postponement of the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Santa Anita Oaks, which where scheduled for this Saturday, Apr. 4, to an undetermined date later in the meet.

Racing was halted at Santa Anita last Friday on orders of the Los Angeles County Health Department, which has closed all businesses deemed non-essential in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been no known cases of COVID-19 at Santa Anita Park at this time.

“Numerous racetracks around the country are continuing to operate," read a release from the track. "They are running for exactly the same reasons that Santa Anita is trying to communicate to LA County officials–because the consequences of closing down the economic engine that fuels the community makes the risks and potential issues significantly worse when racing is closed and only training allowed.

FASIG-TIPTON announced that the Santa Anita 2-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale has been canceled, “owing to the current restrictions in place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and in light of the changes to the 2020 Thoroughbred auction calendar.”

The event had been scheduled for June 3.