Santa Rosa, Ferndale won’t race

The Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa and Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale will not host race meetings this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic and have asked the California Horse Racing Board to move those racing dates to Golden Gate Fields, according to discussion at a racing board dates committee teleconference meeting Wednesday.

The issue of whether racing will be held on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton was unresolved. Committee members Oscar Gonzales and Wendy Mitchell heard testimony from track officials and executives of horsemen’s organizations about proposals for the county fair portion of the Northern California racing schedule from mid-June to early September.

At the conclusion of Wednesday’s 70-minute meeting, Gonzales said he and Mitchell would make a proposal to the full racing board on June 11 on the summer schedule. The board is expected to finalize summertime racing dates at that meeting.

Timing is sensitive. The current Golden Gate Fields meeting runs through June 14. Pleasanton has proposed a seven-week meeting from June 19-Aug. 2 that will include Alameda County Fair racing dates and those from the Cal-Expo fair at Sacramento. Both venues announced earlier this year that they will not host county fair exhibits on their properties this year because of the pandemic.

Wednesday, officials with the Thoroughbred Owners of California asked the racing board to keep racing at Golden Gate Fields during that time to allow for the continuation of turf racing, higher purses, and to avoid movement of horse and backstretch personnel during the pandemic. Pleasanton does not have a turf course.

TOC president Greg Avioli said the organization supports county fair race meetings when such events are conducting full operations – such as exhibits and amusements – in an effort to draw a different audience to racing. The Big Fresno Fair is October is proceeding with plans for a full county fair calendar, officials said.

Alameda County Fair officials said they are prepared to run a seven-week meeting, incorporating safety protocols put in place during the pandemic.

The board of directors of the Sonoma County Fair voted Tuesday to transfer its racing dates to Golden Gate Fields from Aug. 6-16, officials said. Humboldt’s board of directors recently made a similar decision to move its racing dates from Aug. 20-30 to Golden Gate Fields. Humboldt officials said plans continue for a live race meeting in Ferndale in 2021.