Northern California Horse Racing Suffers Final Blow As Golden Gate Fields Is Sold

The fleeting hopes by Northern California horsemen that arsenic agelong arsenic Golden Gate Fields was still standing, racing, moreover if only arsenic a simulcast aliases gaming facility, could 1 time return to Northern California, were dashed connected Monday erstwhile The Stronach Group (TSG) entered into a woody to waste nan 141-acre installation to a nonprofit, which plans to transportation nan onshore to nan authorities to make a park.

The $175 cardinal deal, first reported by nan San Jose Mercury News, is scheduled to adjacent early adjacent year. Golden Gate Fields is located successful nan cities of Berkeley and Albany, sitting correct connected nan Bay.

“This is simply a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put quality and nationalist entree astatine nan forefront, grow recreation and reconstruct nan waterfront truthful it is overmuch much accessible,” Guillermo Rodriguez, authorities head of nan Trust for Public Land, told nan Mercury News. “The views are spectacular retired there.”

Trust for Public Land is nan buyer.

When rumors first started successful July 2023 that TSG, which besides owns Santa Anita successful Arcadia, was going to close its Northern California track, it was ever assumed that nan land, which has dense tallness and zoning restrictions that would make commercialized and residential very difficult, would extremity up nan spot of nan authorities and turned into a park. No 1 expected it to return this long.

As portion of nan deal, TSG must salary for nan demolition of nan stables, grandstand and adjoining structures. A petition for remark and costs projections from TSG was not answered.

On nan surface, it appears arsenic if nan authorities sewage a awesome deal, getting waterfront spot astatine almost nary cost, but TSG, contempt what they suffer connected demolition, has gets astir $20 cardinal a twelvemonth arsenic portion of a redirect of simulcast money that would not person been imaginable if racing still existed successful Northern California.

TSG, supported by nan Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and Del Mar, convinced horsemen successful Northern California they should not reason simulcast costs staying successful Southern California if speech for six much months of racing successful nan north. The horsemen hoped to create replacement options during nan hold of racing astatine Golden Gate Fields that antecedently had been canceled.

Northern California racing was hampered by galore self-inflicted wounds. It started pinch an under-resourced group known arsenic Golden State Racing, which was fixed benchmarks for occurrence by nan TOC that moreover Santa Anita would person had problem achieving. It closed. Then, because of a deficiency of horses and different byproducts of nan closure of Golden Gate Fields, nan fairs successful nan northbound each stopped offering adjacent racing. They did not use for dates this year. Two fairs subsequently applied for racing dates this year, but nan California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied nan requests.

“NorCal horsemen, galore equine farms and region fairs were nan sacrificial lamb truthful nan Bay Area could person its park,” said Oscar Gonzales, vice-chair of nan CHRB and nan strongest advocator for Northern California racing.

There has been scant bully news for California racing lately. A mates of weeks ago, hallway of fame trainer Bob Baffert said he was moving a mates of his strings to Kentucky alternatively than moving astatine Santa Anita aft this weekend. Then connected Friday, it was announced that FanDuel, which is some a betting level and a sports web specializing successful equine racing, is winding down its specialized workplace and on-site talent programming this year. When it closes adjacent nan extremity of nan year, much than 100 group will beryllium laid off. Track feeds will beryllium disposable connected instrumentality apps.

As for nan caller parkland replacing Golden Gate Fields, nan betterment and changes are not apt to beryllium completed for astir 5 years.