In a big change for horse racing in California, all Thoroughbred races this winter and spring will be held at Santa Anita Park in Southern California. Golden State Racing, a group of horse racing owners, breeders, and trainers, had planned to host races in Pleasanton, Northern California, but has decided not to pursue this plan. Instead, racing will be consolidated at Santa Anita, with the season running from December 26 to June 15.
Golden State Racing Withdraws Plans for Northern California Races
Golden State Racing had been planning to hold a winter-spring race meet in Pleasanton, California, but announced on December 16 that they will no longer request racing dates from the California Horse Racing Board. This means there will be no racing in Northern California until the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton in June 2025.
This change comes after a difficult autumn race meeting in Pleasanton, which started in October. The races at Pleasanton were meant to replace those held at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, which closed permanently in June. The racing at Pleasanton did not perform as well as expected, and Golden State Racing was losing money. The board decided that the best option would be to move the races to Santa Anita instead.
Santa Anita Takes Over for Northern California Racing
With the shift of racing dates to Santa Anita, the track will now be the primary venue for Thoroughbred races in California during the winter and spring. This means that Northern California-based horses will be racing at Santa Anita, even though it is 700 miles away in Southern California. To help with this move, Santa Anita will cover travel costs for these horses, including a stipend for trainers. Stabling and training will still be available in Pleasanton, thanks to a special fund, but the races will take place exclusively at Santa Anita.
This decision is meant to streamline operations and create a more unified racing calendar in the state. However, there has been some resistance from Northern California trainers and owners who are unhappy with the closure of Golden Gate Fields. Despite this, the California Horse Racing Board and Santa Anita officials are hopeful that they can bring together participants from both Northern and Southern California.
Challenges and Adjustments in California Racing
One of the challenges of consolidating racing at Santa Anita is that not all horses based in Northern California may be competitive at Santa Anita. To make the transition easier, Santa Anita will offer lower-level claiming races for horses coming from Northern California, with the claiming level set at $6,250 for this winter, lower than it was in previous years.
While some Northern California-based trainers may choose to race in other states, like Arizona’s Turf Paradise, Santa Anita officials are hopeful that more horses will make the trip to Southern California. The goal is to make the California racing scene more competitive, especially with the growing trend of historical horse racing machines, which have helped increase purses in other states.
The move to consolidate racing at Santa Anita will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the California Horse Racing Board. The goal is to provide better racing opportunities for horses, improve the economy of the sport, and continue working toward making California racing more competitive with other states. For now, the shift will help save money and streamline racing operations until new sources of revenue can be found. The hope is that this change will eventually lead to better funding for California tracks and higher purses for the horses and owners.
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