Officials at Santa Anita Park announced earlier this week that they were planning on renaming the Morvich Handicap in honor of Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

The Sept. 28 opening-day feature is a 6 1/2-furlong contest that will be run down the hillside turf course. It will now be known as the Eddie D. Stakes (gr. IIIT).

Usually when races are named after someone, it’s after something has passed away. This is one of the rare times that the person being honored is still around to enjoy it.

“Imagine that,” Delahoussaye said Friday morning. “Naming a race after someone while they’re still around to enjoy it. I hope that’s not a sign I’m going, though. Maybe they know something I don’t.”

Delahoussaye, who retired in 2003, remains active in the business as a bloodstock agent and racing manager. “If I could do one thing, I’d hope to get the people in our industry to work together instead of against each other,” Delahoussaye told the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Hovdey. “Then maybe we can get this game back on track. Because people still love it.”