The fleeting hopes by Northern California horsemen that as long as Golden Gate Fields was still standing, racing, even if only as a simulcast or gaming facility, could one day return to Northern California, were dashed on Monday when The Stronach Group (TSG) entered into a deal to sell the 141-acre facility to a nonprofit, which plans to transfer the land to the state to make a park.
The $175 million deal, first reported by the San Jose Mercury News, is scheduled to close early next year. Golden Gate Fields is located in the cities of Berkeley and Albany, sitting right on the Bay.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put nature and public access at the forefront, expand recreation and restore the waterfront so it is much more accessible,” Guillermo Rodriguez, state director of the Trust for Public Land, told the Mercury News. “The views are spectacular out there.”
Trust for Public Land is the buyer.
When rumors first started in July 2023 that TSG, which also owns Santa Anita in Arcadia, was going to close its Northern California track, it was always assumed that the land, which has heavy height and zoning restrictions that would make commercial and residential very difficult, would end up the property of the state and turned into a park. No one expected it to take this long.
As part of the deal, TSG must pay for the demolition of the stables, grandstand and adjoining structures. A request for comment and cost projections from TSG was not answered.
On the surface, it appears as if the state got a great deal, getting waterfront property at almost no cost, but TSG, despite what they lose on demolition, has gets around $20 million a year as part of a redirect of simulcast money that would not have been possible if racing still existed in Northern California.
TSG, supported by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and Del Mar, convinced horsemen in Northern California they should not oppose simulcast funds staying in Southern California if exchange for six more months of racing in the north. The horsemen hoped to develop alternative options during the extension of racing at Golden Gate Fields that previously had been canceled.
Northern California racing was hampered by many self-inflicted wounds. It started with an under-resourced group known as Golden State Racing, which was given benchmarks for success by the TOC that even Santa Anita would have had trouble achieving. It closed. Then, because of a lack of horses and other byproducts of the closure of Golden Gate Fields, the fairs in the north all stopped offering fair racing. They did not apply for dates this year. Two fairs subsequently applied for racing dates this year, but the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied the requests.
“NorCal horsemen, numerous horse farms and county fairs were the sacrificial lamb so the Bay Area could have its park,” said Oscar Gonzales, vice-chair of the CHRB and the strongest advocate for Northern California racing.
There has been scant good news for California racing lately. A couple of weeks ago, hall of fame trainer Bob Baffert said he was moving a couple of his strings to Kentucky rather than running at Santa Anita after this weekend. Then on Friday, it was announced that FanDuel, which is both a betting platform and a sports network specializing in horse racing, is winding down its specialized studio and on-site talent programming this year. When it closes near the end of the year, more than 100 people will be laid off. Track feeds will be available on fan apps.
As for the new park replacing Golden Gate Fields, the improvement and changes are not likely to be completed for about five years.
