Readers of the Agatha Christie classic “Murder on the Orient Express” will recall that the victim, referred to as Mr. Ratchett, was found to have been stabbed a dozen times. As it turned out, the fatal wounds were inflicted by a dozen different culprits. Mr. Ratchett, meet Oak Tree. Given the events of the past 10 months, it is difficult to fix the blame for the demise of the Oak Tree Racing Association as an operator of a major California Thoroughbred meet. They were getting it from all sides. After 42 years of honorable service and charitable contributions to the sport, you would think job security would have been the least of Oak Tree’s worries. But now, as a result of actions taken on Thursday by the California Horse Racing Board, there will be no Oak Tree meet in 2011. The early fall dates at Santa Anita Park occupied by an Oak Tree meet from 1969 through 2009 will belong to the Pacific Racing Association, a sister to Santa Anita under the umbrella of racetrack companies owned by Frank Stronach. If fingers are to be pointed, Stronach leads the list of those who set Oak Tree on its way. While his former Magna Entertainment Corp. was under bankruptcy protection, Stronach voided the Oak Tree’s Santa Anita lease with the message that he no longer wanted to be landlord to their tenancy. Such is the fate of renters. Stronach relented, under pressure from the industry, and was ready to allow Oak Tree a one-year deal at Santa Anita in 2010 when the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Trainers saw an opportunity to get a new main track by refusing to race over Santa Anita’s synthetic main track. Hollywood Park management, which already had offered Oak Tree a temporary home, once again was pressed into service as the only viable site for an early fall of 2010 meet. Officials at Del Mar, Oak Tree’s first choice for a new home, claimed local environmental issues precluded them from running an early fall meet in 2010, as well as 2011. Hollywood Park’s people extended its offer to Oak Tree for 2011, which is what was on the table at the racing board meeting, along with Santa Anita’s request to operate the dates from which it had evicted Oak Tree in the first place. The board voted 6-0 to reject Oak Tree/Hollywood Park and grant Santa Anita its request. It was granted with the wish, as enunciated by board chairman Keith Brackpool, that Santa Anita management would extend Oak Tree all possible respect and accommodation, especially when it came to the running of Oak Tree’s major stakes events, including those linked to the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In participation incentive. Those stakes were Oak Tree’s only real leverage to maintain any presence at all, at least this season. The Graded Stakes Committee confirmed that races such as the Yellow Ribbon, the Goodwood, the Lady’s Secret, and the Ancient Title were considered Oak Tree’s property, and wherever they ran them they would maintain their graded status. However, with the dates in hand Santa Anita officials would have the option to create their own slate of fall stakes, and name them after Canadian hockey players if they want. They can also apply to the Graded Stakes Committee for special consideration for the races to be granted temporary graded status, as long as the new races are similar to the Oak Tree races they replace. Sherwood Chillingworth, Oak Tree‘s executive director wanted to make sure that did not happen. “Santa Anita has agreed to run our stakes,” Chillingworth said . “They’ve also agreed to give the name Oak Tree a presence on the masthead in some way, as a ‘co-presenter’ of the meet.” Santa Anita also has agreed to the uninterrupted maintenance of Oak Tree’s financial records as well as providing Oak Tree their office space, rent free, until June 2012, along with $500,000 in cash. Jack Liebau, president of Hollywood Park, heard his track praised for coming to Oak Tree‘s rescue in 2010 but in the next breath dismissed as an unworthy host for 2011. “I don’t think we necessarily were appreciated to the extent that we should have been for the aid we offered,” Liebau said. “Oak Tree will never get the dates back at Santa Anita -- I think that’s a foregone conclusion.” For 2011, it is possible that Oak Tree and Del Mar could combine forces to apply for the early fall dates now awarded to Santa Anita, or the later fall dates at Hollywood Park, while Santa Anita interests go hunting for May and June dates currently operated by Hollywood Park. Of course, there is something to be said for throwing all the squabbling tomcats in a barrel and rolling it down a hill, but that’s probably not an option afforded the CHRB. The vote on Thursday to give Santa Anita the former Oak Tree dates merely returns the California calendar to the status quo, shuffling only a couple of name cards around the table. Hollywood Park officials, constantly barraged with questions regarding the long-range racing plans of their development oriented parent company, have committed to racing through 2012. Del Mar’s future has been the subject of speculation because of a possible sale of the track to a partnership of civic and private interests, while Stronach is on the record as coveting more dates for Santa Anita. Nothing sounds particularly promising for an organization like Oak Tree. Still, Chillingworth refuses to concede the dire writing on the wall, which is why his deal with Santa Anita is better than no deal at all. “My sole mission right now is to keep Oak Tree alive,” he said. “Because once you go dead, it’s hard to resurrect.”