THE pressure on the team at Santa Anita this weekend is immense. Few editions of the Breeders’ Cup meeting have had the potential to do good or, heaven forbid, serious harm to racing. While it is hard to contemplate the prospect of racing ever being banned, it is a stark possibility presently in the state of California.

Just over a month ago the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, warned that horse racing is dangerously close to being put out of business in his state. He also suggested that he would curb owners and breeders with direct financial interests in the sport from serving on its regulatory board.