CARF Will Not Pursue Winter-Spring Dates at Pleasanton

An effort to keep a regular Northern California racing schedule going forward will end as the board of directors for the California Authority of Racing Fairs voted Dec. 16 to not pursue racing dates Dec. 25-June 10 at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack.

The board voted unanimously, with one abstention, to withdraw its "Golden State Racing" application for a race meeting over those dates.

In July 2023 Golden Gate Fields owner The Stronach Group announced that it would close the Northern California track in an effort to attract more horses to the Southern California circuit, which includes the owner's Santa Anita Park. Golden Gate closed after its June 9, 2024 card.

In an effort to maintain Northern California racing, CARF in March proposed picking up a 26-day fall meet at Pleasanton, which hosts the Alameda County Fair each summer. Alameda County is located in the San Francisco Bay area. CARF, through its Golden State Racing operation, voted in March to make Pleasanton the home of Northern California racing initially with the fall race dates. 

With one cancellation, the 25-day fall meet that started Oct. 19 and concludes Dec. 18 has seen an average per-race purse of $20,008 over 192 races. Those races averaged 6.62 starters. The per-race average purse was down from 13% from the $23,152 average purse from 253 races during a similar time frame in 2023 at Golden Gate Fields. Those races at Golden Gate averaged 7.24 starters.

Ahead of Monday's vote, staff noted significant losses during the recently concluded meet at Pleasanton. With the vote that followed to not pursue the winter-spring dates, it appears that the plan to make Pleasanton the focus of regional racing has ended.

The winter-spring request for Pleasanton, which had been outlined in an 84-page document presented to the California Horse Racing Board, was listed on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the CHRB, Dec. 19 in Sacramento. Another item on that agenda noted that Golden State Racing and the Thoroughbred Owners of California had failed to come to an agreement ahead of GSR's application to conduct the Dec. 25-June 10 race meeting. But after Monday's vote the application will no longer take place.

The CHRB also is scheduled Thursday to discuss the state's overall allocation of race dates at that meeting.

"While this conclusion is undoubtedly disappointing to nearly everyone involved and presents its own challenges, the CHRB views this arrangement as temporary, as well as an opportunity for all stakeholders to work together to pursue purse enhancements that are essential for California racing to remain competitive with the rest of the country," the CHRB said in a statement. "We are hopeful that should such supplements be realized, California will once again support two thriving thoroughbred circuits and offer purses equal to or above those in other states."

The withdrawal of the Dec. 25-June 10 dates does not impact CARF's summer fair circuit dates. 

At the November CHRB meeting, 1/ST (Stronach Group) president Aidan Butler said California is heading toward disaster if Santa Anita and Northern California Thoroughbred interests continue to compete with overlapping race meets. He said both Santa Anita and Golden State Racing at Pleasanton are cutting purses due largely to small fields and reduced handle. 

Butler went on to say that the entire California industry should pay for stabling the horses in the north and shuttling them back and forth to the south for racing. He pledged to offer specific races for horses from the north, perhaps on stand-alone racing cards. 

"This blueprint represents the most efficient use of resources, building a stronger foundation at Santa Anita while addressing the unique needs of our constituents in Northern California," said Bill Nader, president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. "Utilizing Pleasanton as an off-site stabling and training hub ensures continuity for horses and staff. This agreement is a significant step forward for the future of California racing."

Clarification: This story was updated Dec. 17 to note one day remains in current fall meet at Pleasanton.