TOC group wants to purchase Santa Anita

Sunday was a big day for Arnold Zetcher, whose recent private purchase, Richard's Kid, won the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Now he's hoping to celebrate another big day if a group he's aligned with is successful in buying Santa Anita in bankruptcy court. The group is attempting to purchase the track on behalf of the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

The sale, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed to perhaps as late as after the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup because no acceptable bids were received by the July 31 deadline.

"Santa Anita is still for sale, but since they didn't have all the bids in that they wanted they really couldn't have an auction so they took it off the auction block," Zetcher said. "But it's still out there, and I think as soon as they do get a bid or two in, it becomes a stalking horse and then 30 days after that will be the auction.

"We are very vigorous in our efforts to buy this on a not-for-profit basis for all the horsemen. That's what this is all about. Any profits that we would get we would try to throw back into either the purse structure or the operations of Santa Anita. We're very enthusiastic about it and we're very hopeful that we can succeed."

Frank Stronach, chairman of Santa Anita parent company Magna Entertainment Corp., reportedly would like to retain control of the track.