State board OKs fall season in Pleasanton

The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday gave Northern California a lifeline when it approved the allocation of racing dates for a fall season to be run at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

Details still need to be worked out for the proposed Oct. 19-Dec. 15 season, which will be operated by the newly-created Golden State Racing — an offshoot of the California Authority of Racing Fairs.

With Golden Gate Fields closing June 9 and some heavy industry players advocating for a consolidation of the state’s racing in Southern California, there had been a fear that Northern California would be shut out following this summer’s fair circuit.

Craig Fravel, an executive with 1/ST Racing — Santa Anita’s parent company the Stronach Group — wrote a letter to the CHRB demanding the dates not be given to Pleasanton. In it he wrote that if the dates were awarded to Pleasanton, alternative uses for Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Downs (a training facility) could be considered.

Oscar Gonzales, the CHRB vice-chairman, didn’t take kindly to that threat.

“With a letter like that it comes across as ‘if you don’t do it my way I’m going to take my ball and leave,’ ” Gonzales told Fravel. “We don’t close tracks; we sit there and listen to everybody to discover how to keep racing going in California.”

Field size, purses and betting handle are down across California, with Golden Gate Fields — also owned by 1/ST Racing — slashing purses 25% for its current, and final, season.

The Thoroughbred Owners of California also opposed awarding the dates to Pleasanton, but that group was countered by the California Thoroughbred Trainers and the California Thoroughbred Breeding Association.

“We can all disagree about any specific plan for Northern California, but we need a chance to see what will happen,” CTT representative Alan Balch said.

“Having a two-circuit system benefits our members,” said the CTBA’s Justin Oldfield. “Some of our horses fit in different places. Awarding the dates today means people will continue to breed.”

Larry Swartzlander, CARF’s executive director, told the racing board that purses at the fall meeting would be “fairly close to last year on the fairs.” He also said there are plans to increase the stall space at Pleasanton and to build a turf course there within the next three years. Unlike Golden Gate Fields, which races on a synthetic surface and on grass, Pleasanton has only a dirt track.

“We really don’t know what the purses are going to be, but right now we’re running for nothing at Golden Gate, so we can make this work,” said trainer Jamey Thomas.