CHRB Discusses 2017 Racing Dates

Though still early in the process for allocating 2017 racing dates, a California Horse Racing Board Dates Committee meeting June 15 provided a glimpse of what might be ahead.

The clearest takeaway from the nearly 2 1/2-hour meeting at Santa Anita Park was that The Stronach Group representatives, speaking for Santa Anita, do not want the Arcadia racetrack's slate of racing from late December to early July to be split by a three-week meet at Los Alamitos Race Course in April and May, as it was in 2016.

The Stronach Group's Scott Daruty said he was "vehemently opposed" to the spring Los Alamitos meet, which in 2016 replaced July dates the Orange County racetrack featured in its first two years of daytime Thoroughbred racing following the closing of Hollywood Park in 2013.

"We don't think that was a successful experiment this year," Daruty said. "We don't think we should repeat that. ... We think overall handle in the state was down and purse generation was down, which is not great. As far as our meet is concerned, we think it really broke the momentum and we had a much tougher time when we came back, versus a year ago, when we ran continuously."

Santa Anita and Del Mar put forward a proposal that eliminates Los Alamitos' presence entirely in the first half of 2017. The Del Mar/Santa Anita joint proposal would also features a "dark week" between Santa Anita's closing day, July 4, and Del Mar's opening day, July 14. That would cut Los Alamitos' weeks down from eight in 2016 to six in 2017.

Los Alamitos representative Jack Liebau generally opposed the "dark week," citing its impact on track workers, but also angled for Los Alamitos to retain its eight-week allotment of dates. Los Alamitos' proposal, which asked for "two consecutive weeks of racing" either in between the Santa Anita and Del Mar meets or "somewhere during Santa Anita's main meet" seemed to gain momentum with CHRB members, but because of where Christmas falls in 2017, allowing Los Alamitos to keep eight full weeks would mean either Santa Anita or Del Mar would have one less week than in 2016.

"I don't see where you're 'losing,' with all the weeks of racing you get," CHRB member George Krikorian said to the Santa Anita contingent.

"My counter is we're shouldering a disproportionate portion of the stabling burden," Daruty said.

Stabling issues in both regions of the state is the can of worms in any discussion over dates. Santa Anita and Del Mar don't have enough room to house all of Southern California's horse population, which puts Los Alamitos in a very crucial position.

The industry stakeholders in the room eventually agreed to discuss the dates, along with stabling considerations, before bringing the the issues in front of the CHRB again.

"We're certainly willing to participate in those discussions," Liebau said. "Scott says they have the burden of off-site stables. The real burden with off-site stabling is with the horsemen, who pay 50% of the off-site stabling. The problem is there aren't enough stalls at Santa Anita to operate their meet without stalls at Los Alamitos."

In the Northern Califorina dates discussion, the ongoing power struggle between the state's fair circuit and Golden Gate Fields continued.

The California Authority of Racing Fairs' proposal presented a 2017 summer schedule with Golden Gate cut out entirely—in 2016, Golden Gate will run from Aug. 17 to Sept. 20—while Golden Gate's proposal expanded its presence from Aug. 23 to Oct. 3.

Daruty, also representing The Stronach Group's interests for Golden Gate, said the Bay Area track would be on board for CHRB member Steve Beneto's proposal, which essentially mirrors the 2016 race schedule. That schedule features two overlap weeks in which Golden Gate and Ferndale run at the same time, an arrangement the Humboldt County Fair, which runs the Ferndale meet, would like to terminate.

"We've been requesting at least a week unopposed. ... It's a challenge for us," Humboldt County Fair general manager Richard Conway said. "For us, it's the difference between a few hundred thousand dollars in commissions."

Also seeking a change is the Sonoma County Fair, which runs the Santa Rosa meet on the circuit. The only fair with a turf course, Santa Rosa would like to get its dates moved up from late July to mid-July to move in line with its fair.

CARF and representatives from the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton made a case for more dates for the fairs and again brought up the oft-expressed idea for installing a turf course at Pleasanton. Alameda County Fair chief executive officer Jerome Hoben said Pleasanton would need 30 days of racing to put in the grass course.

"The fairs need to move forward. The fairs have the same concerns Golden Gate has—business," said Larry Swartzlander, chief operating officer for CARF. "The fewer dates we run, the less money we make and the more it costs the fairs to run races. ... Anything that gives dates back to Golden Gate is simply not acceptable."

Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said the CTT did not support moving more dates to the fairs, except for Santa Rosa.

"We do not want to see dates ... 'migrate' from Golden Gate Fields," Balch said. "We want to see the opposite, because we think it is so critical to see Golden Gate Fields not just survive, but thrive. We believe and have consistently believed that's the key to success in Northern California racing."

The Northern California dates discussion also heavily involves stabling, including Golden Gate's year-round stabling and the cost that requires. Daruty said Golden Gate has 1,375 stalls and will be adding 75 to 80.

Beneto, an unabashed advocate for the fairs, supported moving stabling to the fair sites as the year progressed instead of stabling at Golden Gate year-round.

"I'm just frustrated," Beneto said. "God darn it, we've got plenty of stalls up north. The fairs should accommodate the horses and close Golden Gate for that period of time. We've got 2,500 to 3,000 stalls up there not being used. ... This thing has gotten out of hand over the years. It needs to be taken back.

"We spoiled the horsemen by keeping Golden Gate on a year-round basis. Now they don't want to move. In the old days, we moved every two weeks."