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The future of horse racing in Northern California took a major blow Monday when the California Racing Fair Authority voted unanimously to withdraw its application to hold a racing meeting starting later this month at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds.
The California Horse Racing Board was scheduled to discuss the race in Pleasanton at its meeting Thursday.
Golden State Racing, a consortium of owners, trainers and breeders working with CARF, has proposed holding a reduced meeting from December 26 to June 8. The current meeting in Pleasanton, which began in October, ends Wednesday.
Business at Pleasanton was down significantly compared to the fall meeting at Golden Gate Fields in 2023. Golden Gate Fields, located about 30 minutes from Pleasanton, closed permanently in June, creating the Golden State Racing meeting.
“The increasing economic challenges presented during horse racing and inconsistent handling in Northern California force us to conclude that operating Pleasanton as a training and racing facility for horses in Southern California would be in the best interest of both Northern California and Southern California,” the California Horse Racing Board said in a statement Monday. .
Last month, CHRB Chairman Greg Ferraro criticized the Golden State Racing meeting and said that if efforts to keep racing in Northern California fail “we could eliminate racing in the state.”
“While this conclusion is undoubtedly disappointing for almost all involved and presents its own challenges, the Bahrain Human Rights Commission considers this arrangement to be provisional,” the racing board said.
The CHRB said it sees an opportunity for all stakeholders to work together to pursue portfolio improvements that are essential for California racing to remain competitive with the rest of the country.
“We hope that if such complements are achieved, California will once again support two thriving thoroughbred horse circuits and offer purses equal to or higher than those of other states,” the statement said.
Officials at Santa Anita, whose parent company owns Golden Gate Fields, have proposed incorporating racing at Santa Anita into Arcadia, which is 355 miles south of Pleasanton.
