They’re Off and Not Running at Santa Anita, Jockeys Say : Horse racing: Citing unsafe conditions caused by rain, riders vote not to continue. Track cancels its program after first race, postpones San Carlos.

Most of Santa Anita’s jockeys, questioning the safety of a rain-splattered track, declined to ride after Sunday’s first race, resulting in the cancellation of the rest of the card.

Many trainers were angered when the stewards announced the cancellation of eight races, one of which was the $150,000 San Carlos Handicap. The track had been hit by more than an inch of rain in 24 hours and more than four inches since the season opened on Dec. 26. Sunday’s first race was run in the rain over a track listed as sloppy.

“We (trainers) should stick together on this,” Jack Van Berg said, “and we’re a bunch of pansies if we don’t. I’m not going to put any of these guys (who wouldn’t ride) on my horses.”

There had been friction between the trainers and jockeys during the Jockeys’ Guild’s recent negotiations with the Thoroughbred Racing Assns. tracks over health and accident insurance. The TRA, a 41-track trade group that includes Santa Anita, came to terms with the guild on Dec. 30, a day before the old contract ran out and two days before Santa Anita’s races would have been run without most of the leading riders. One of the issues in the negotiations was the jockeys’ broadcast rights, and many of Santa Anita’s jockeys have refused television interviews since the new agreement was reached.

“Not riding was related to safety, nothing else,” jockey Corey Black said after riding in Sunday’s first race. “Not riding for any other reason would have been cutting off our noses to spite our faces. We don’t make money if we don’t ride.”

David Flores, who won the first race with Desert Orchid, and at least three other riders from the race--Black, Gary Stevens and Pat Valenzuela--complained about the footing on the far turn.

“I chose not to be an employee the rest of the day,” Stevens said. “I’m a professional rider and I thought the track was unsafe. If anybody wanted to ride those horses, they were on their own.”

Among the jockeys who wanted to ride were Randy Romero and apprentice Obed Sanchez.

“My jock came here from Puerto Rico to ride, and he was ready to ride,” said Tony Matos, who books mounts for Sanchez. “This is a bad day for racing. Those jocks might have had trouble on the turn because they pushed their horses so fast in the first part of the race. Look at how quick those fractions were.”

Stevens was booed by a small group of fans as he left the jockeys’ room to go home. “This is like a June day in New York,” one of them said.

Black said that he would have recommended to trainer Paul Assinesi that their horse, Polar Route, be scratched from the San Carlos. Four of the horses already had been scratched, reducing the field to six. The San Carlos will be run Saturday, the same day as the San Fernando Stakes and the San Gorgonio Handicap. Santa Anita also will ask the California Horse Racing Board for a makeup racing day before the season ends on April 24.

The stewards said they polled the jockeys before deciding to cancel. “Nobody (else) wanted to call off the races,” steward Pete Pedersen said. “This was strictly a matter of the safety of the riders.”

Bruce Headley, who trains Softshoe Sure Shot, said that his 9-year-old gelding would have run in Sunday’s San Carlos.

“Revenge is sweet,” Headley said, referring to the jockeys not riding. “The tracks are cheap, and they should have done better by the jockeys on the insurance deal.”

Bud Johnston, one of the owners of Softshoe Sure Shot, said the jockeys could have ridden.

“They’re running at Bay Meadows today, and they’ve had more rain than we’ve had,” he said.

Because of a shortage of entries and troublesome training conditions due to a muddy track, Bay Meadows has called off its next two racing days, Wednesday and Thursday. Santa Anita, which is usually part of Bay Meadows’ simulcast network, will offer eight races from Gulfstream Park in Florida both days, with the first simulcast race scheduled to start at 11:19 a.m.

Santa Anita’s estimated crowd Sunday was 6,500. There was a consolation payoff on the daily double, and refunds were made on all other multiple-race bets. Fans can use the first page of their programs for admission rain checks, the page for the ninth race from Bay Meadows can be used for one free parking day and the rest of the program can be exchanged for another program any day during the rest of the meet.

The last Santa Anita occurred came in January of 1993.

Times staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this story.