Breeders cup not in doubt?

Santa Anita still the likely venue for Breeders' Cup

BREEDERS' CUP officials are confident this year's event will take place at Santa Anita this November - despite bankruptcy issues concerning the company that owns the California racetrack.

Speculation has mounted in recent days that the two-day meeting would be switched to Churchill Downs.

Santa Anita's owners, Magna Entertainment Corporation, were in bankruptcy court in Delaware on Monday, when a judge delayed the proposed sale of its racetracks, which includes Pimlico, Gulfstream Park and Lone Star Park.

However, Breeders' Cup Ltd issued a statement underlining its commitment to resolving the issue with Oak Tree Racing Association, the none-profit group that leases Santa Anita for the autumn meeting and Breeders' Cup races on November 6-7.

"Our current intention is to stage the 2009 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita during the Oak Tree meeting," it read.

"We are working with Santa Anita and Oak Tree management and our legal counsel to obtain the necessary protections so that the event can take place as planned.

"We have made a great deal of progress in the last few weeks working with Oak Tree and Magna, and remain confident we will obtain the necessary approvals from the bankruptcy court in the immediate future, and the 2009 event will be at Oak Tree as planned."

Breeders' Cup Ltd president Greg Avioli had only recently told Daily Racing Form: "It needs to get it done in the very near future. We can't get very far beyond where we are now.

"We have contracts, hotel rooms, travel plans, a ton of logistics that can't be done until we know for sure."