Santa Anita has cancelled racing indefinitely to allow track consultant Dennis Moore to inspect a surface that has been plagued by a rash of equine fatalities in recent months, according to Tim Ritvo, the chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, the track's parent company.

Ritvo said racing will not be held this weekend, and declined to speculate on a date of resumption. Racing was scheduled from Friday through Sunday and was set to resume on Thursday, March 14. It was not clear on Tuesday whether racing would be held on March 14, Ritvo said.

The cancellation comes days before one of the track's biggest programs - the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap for older horses and the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-olds, a key prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby.

(There will be more on this subject later on DRF.com)