An effort to maintain a daily Northern California racing schedule going ahead will finish because the board of administrators for the California Authority of Racing Gala’s voted Dec. 16 to not pursue racing dates Dec. 25-June 10 on the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack.
The board voted unanimously, with one abstention, to withdraw its “Golden State Racing” software for a race assembly over these dates.
In July 2023 Golden Gate Fields proprietor The Stronach Group introduced that it could shut the Northern California observe in an effort to draw extra horses to the Southern California circuit, which incorporates the proprietor’s Santa Anita Park. Golden Gate closed after its June 9, 2024 card.
In an effort to take care of Northern California racing, CARF in March proposed choosing up a 26-day fall meet at Pleasanton, which hosts the Alameda County Honest every summer season. Alameda County is positioned within the San Francisco Bay space. CARF, via its Golden State Racing operation, voted in March to make Pleasanton the house of Northern California racing initially with the autumn race dates.Â
With two cancellations, the 24-day fall meet that began Oct. 19 and concluded Dec. 15 noticed a median per-race purse of $20,008 over 192 races. These races averaged 6.62 starters. The per-race common purse was down from 13% from the $23,152 common purse from 253 races throughout the same time-frame in 2023 at Golden Gate Fields. These races at Golden Gate averaged 7.24 starters.Join BloodHorse Every day
Forward of Monday’s vote, workers famous vital losses through the lately concluded meet at Pleasanton. With the vote that adopted to not pursue the winter-spring dates, it seems that the plan to make Pleasanton the main focus of regional racing has ended.
The winter-spring request for Pleasanton, which had been outlined in an 84-page doc introduced to the California Horse Racing Board, was listed on the agenda for the following recurrently scheduled assembly of the CHRB, Dec. 19 in Sacramento. One other merchandise on that agenda famous that Golden State Racing and the Thoroughbred Homeowners of California had failed to return to an settlement forward of GSR’s software to conduct the Dec. 25-June 10 race assembly. However after Monday’s vote the appliance will now not happen.
The CHRB is also scheduled Thursday to debate the state’s total allocation of race dates at that assembly.
“Whereas this conclusion is undoubtedly disappointing to almost everybody concerned and presents its personal challenges, the CHRB views this association as non permanent, in addition to a chance for all stakeholders to work collectively to pursue purse enhancements which can be important for California racing to stay aggressive with the remainder of the nation,” the CHRB stated in a press release. “We’re hopeful that ought to such dietary supplements be realized, California will as soon as once more help two thriving thoroughbred circuits and supply purses equal to or above these in different states.”
The withdrawal of the Dec. 25-June 10 dates doesn’t influence CARF’s summer season honest circuit dates.Â
On the November CHRB assembly, 1/ST (Stronach Group) president Aidan Butler stated California is heading towards catastrophe if Santa Anita and Northern California Thoroughbred pursuits proceed to compete with overlapping race meets. He stated each Santa Anita and Golden State Racing at Pleasanton are chopping purses due largely to small fields and decreased deal with.Â
Butler went on to say that the complete California trade ought to pay for stabling the horses within the north and shuttling them forwards and backwards to the south for racing. He pledged to supply particular races for horses from the north, maybe on stand-alone racing playing cards.Â
“This blueprint represents essentially the most environment friendly use of sources, constructing a stronger basis at Santa Anita whereas addressing the distinctive wants of our constituents in Northern California,” stated Invoice Nader, president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Homeowners of California. “Using Pleasanton as an off-site stabling and coaching hub ensures continuity for horses and workers. This settlement is a major step ahead for the way forward for California racing.”
