ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Santa Anita will replace its synthetic surface with dirt in time for the track's winter-spring meet in December, although the California Horse Racing Board has yet to approve the switch.

Three years ago, the board mandated that all the state's major thoroughbred tracks install synthetic surfaces or risk losing their racing dates. Santa Anita has requested a waiver from the board to return to a dirt surface.

Santa Anita owner Frank Stronach has estimated it will cost $6 million to install the new surface.

Track officials said Tuesday that construction will begin on Oct. 11, and the track should be ready for training by Dec. 6. The track's winter-spring meet begins Dec. 26.

Project manager Ted Malloy met with horsemen to discuss the composition of the soil, which is likely to be a mixture of clay and sand. He says his main goal is safety for horses and riders. Malloy says Santa Anita's surface will be similar to those at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park.

In the event of significant rainfall, Malloy says the new track will drain vertically, unlike the current synthetic surface, which had severe drainage problems that forced the track to cancel racing days.