Board hears debate on future of California racing, takes no action

Thursday’s meeting of the California Horse Racing Board included a long and sometimes contentious discussion of the future of racing in the north and south of the state, but no action was taken.

Larry Swartzlander, executive director of the California Authority of Racing Fairs, started the discussion on an upbeat note.

“While there was little warning regarding the closure of Golden Gate fields, the decision does not signal an end to Northern California racing,” he said. “In fact, a dynamic group of owners, breeders, backstretch workers, jockeys, employees and community members are working against the clock to put together a viable program that can maintain a vibrant racing schedule and contains a strong purse structure.”

Swartzlander said a working group of nine members is doing grassroots planning for the implementation of a new track in Northern California, with Sacramento the preferred site.

“This requires the design and construction at this point of installing a seven-eights mile trek inside the current main oval here at Cal Expo,” he said, and CARF has assembled a team to consider what would be involved in such a project.

A backup plan would be to built the track at Pleasanton.

Swartzlander said CARF will seek approval at the March meeting of the CHRB for dates from September to Dec 26.

“We have work to do,” he said. “We have negotiations moving forward. Horse racing at Golden Gate has been a proud history that ran its course. We have the opportunity here. We have a chance to create a jewel of horse racing that allows Northern California to reignite a fanbase, give owners greater reason to compete, provide breeders a stronger market and make our site profitable. Folks, the concerns are surmountable. Let's work together.”

A discussion followed about details of the plan, which Swartzlander estimated would “easily” cost about $1 million to $1.5 million, a figure that CHRB executive director Scott Chaney called “very low.”

Chaney also questioned how it would be funded and whether the plan was even feasible, given the unsustainabilty of Golden Gate Fields.

Board member Wendy Mitchell also expressed doubts about the viability of the plan.

“I don't see how any of this lines up,” she said. “And I guess my concern from a regulatory or from the industry perspective is I don't want to create false expectations for people that are really unattainable.”

Bill Nader, president of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and representatives of Del Mar, Golden Gate and Santa Anita presented their plan to concentrate racing in Southern California.

As reported this week, the plan includes the introduction of required legislation to allow Los Alamitos the stability to offer new races, aimed at accommodating horses currently racing in the North. Also included is a transition component to provide financial incentives for those moving from the North to the South.

The proposed legislative change for Los Alamitos would allow more extensive nighttime racing for Thoroughbreds, lifting the provision restricting nighttime Thoroughbred races to 4 1/2-furlong races for $5,000 claimers and below or $8,000 maiden claimers. Other parts of the plan to try to make racing in southern California more appealing to northern stables include relocation allowances as well as lowering the claiming floor at Santa Anita and Del Mar.

“This we consider as a contingency plan, in the event there is no new operator with a viable plan in the north to step forward after the closing of Golden Gate,” Nader said at the meeting.

The discussion was followed by public comment.

Trainer Jonathan Thomas said a realistic plan takes time.

“CARF needs time to get all this situated and done,” he said. “It’s kind of been a rush job. They’re rushing us, forcing us to get this stuff done faster than it can be done. Again, if they had let us know a year ago, by now everything could have been in place. We would have a place to run. And we will have a place to run. The thing is, we just need the time. CARF needs the time.”

Thomas said owners already are transferring horses to Southern California.

Ed Moger, a trainer who resigned from the Thoroughbred Owners of California board this week because of a disagreement over the group’s endorsement of a plan to concentrate racing in Southern California, echoed Thomas’s comments.

"All's we're asking for is a little bit of time. More time," he said. "You're going to lose jobs, about 500 people that live on the racetrack, and most of them live on the racetrack, so they're going to lose their home and their jobs."

Johnny Taboada, who also resigned from the TOC board, said "If we don't have dates assigned to the north, and therefore the money goes to the south, it will be the end of not only Northern California racing but also the fairs."

He said he wants the CHRB to wait to make a decision after the north has a plan to take over racing in that end of the state.

After nearly an hour of public comment, chairman Gregory Ferraro wrapped up the public part of the meeting. "We have no decision making today. ... We'll see what happens over the next couple of months."