Bay Meadows to Permanently Close

[Zman179]

November 4th will be the last day.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/22/SPGE8OQ4383.DTL

[ryesteve]

Once again, polytrack is doing me no favors...

[xciceroguy]

I hope Russell Baze goes with it.....................

[bobphilo]

While I am personally in favor of Polytrack, I think they should have given them an extension in the installation deadline to save this historic track.

If the CHRB had been more reasonable there would have been another Poly surfaced track in another year or two instead of condos. Then again the BM management may have been looking for an excuse to sell to developers for big bucks.


In any case, this is sad no matter who is to blame and what surface one prefers.


Bob

[Ron]

Where are those 20 horses going to go?

[JustRalph]

Where are those 20 horses going to go?

:lol: :lol:

[cj]

We need more tracks to close.

[The Hawk]

Start with the one in Ozone Park, and work your way up.

[cj]

Some tracks at all levels of racing should be closed, including the top levels.

[Light]

Allthough I like BM,the idea of having GG go poly,then having those horses return to BM dirt is hairaising. Have that problem right now with horses at SA who have raced at Hol poly. I wish they would all go poly or stay all dirt. It wrecks havoc with handicapping. I had been planning on making new pars for the circuit but there's no point in making any for GGF,SA or Dmr until they all go poly. I didn't really want to start making pars and TV's again but do see a big opportunity for nice scores when these new CA. poly races start showing up in the PP's with no TV's and innacurate SR's cause there will be no database on them.

[Indulto]

Some tracks at all levels of racing should be closed, including the top levels.Care to be specific?

[Alan Wight]

We need more tracks to close.

What is needed is fewer race dates, not fewer tracks. The closing of Bay Meadows is unlikely to reduce the number of races or race dates in California because there are tracks available to take over the BM dates. However, it will decrease the number of opportunities to take advantage of the fact that the odds on winning shippers are usually higher than the average win odds.

[46zilzal]

I used to live in Redwood City and would take the train there. ONCE a year, for both Saturdays of the Bay Meadows Fair meeting I would get all four seats in box E-9 which was the only clubhouse box that was not blocked by people standing up in the grandstand. Lots of good memories there.

[bigmack]

The memories Zilly, will have to take a back seat to the ill informed.

There's little time for anyone familiar with the venue of Bay Meadows to reflect on its place in history as the smarmy take their misaligned position of its closing and the potentiality of other closings while reveling in the likes of Fonner - Fonner?

When one stops and pensively thinks of global warming, the questionable Saratoga meet may be next to thwart the encumberance thrown upon the talent in the consistantly oppresive seasonal humidity on par with that of Manila.

[cj]

The memories Zilly, will have to take a back seat to the ill informed.

There's little time for anyone familiar with the venue of Bay Meadows to reflect on its place in history as the smarmy take their misaligned position of its closing and the potentiality of other closings while reveling in the likes of Fonner - Fonner?

When one stops and pensively thinks of global warming, the questionable Saratoga meet may be next to thwart the encumberance thrown upon the talent in the consistantly oppresive seasonal humidity on par with that of Manila.

I guess somewhere in there is something funny, but I'm not nearly smart enough to understand all that.

All I was saying is that there are too many racetracks running too many races. I personally don't care which ones can't survive. I just happen to think that fewer tracks will lead to less races being run, which will lead to fuller fields, which will lead to more betting, which will lead to higher purses, and so on.

History or not, Northern California racing sucks, and has for quite some time.

[kenwoodallpromos]

The Ca tracks brought on artificial tracks themselves- 12 fatal breeakdowns in 23 days within sight of the SF liberals because these tracks GGF, BM, Hol, SA run their tracks as fast and as hard as possible.

[bigmack]

History or not, Northern California racing sucks, and has for quite some time.
That's the problem with the youth of today. They have no respect for history.

You don't like NoCal racing - don't bet it. On a disclosed day of a venue shut-down how bout takin' a break from your supposed level of expertise in the game.

Your pace figures rock - Or, so I hear.

Your stomp on a track closure is for shit. OK?

[cj]

Your stomp on a track closure is for shit. OK?

That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I don't agree, and I'm entitled to mine. If we all thought the same way, there wouldn't be a whole lot of posting going on here.

[bigmack]

That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I don't agree, and I'm entitled to mine. If we all thought the same way, there wouldn't be a whole lot of posting going on here.
Let me know where I can send the party hats to enhance your celebration on the closure of Bay Meadows.

It's not a matter of differing opines.

Timing is everything.

[cj]

I am smart enough to know that "differing opines" is poor grammar. :)

My reaction would have been the same even if it had been one of my "home" tracks, Laurel or Pimlico. I didn't realize feelings for Bay Meadows ran so deep, so I'll try to be more sensitive next time they announce the end of racing.

[bigmack]

I am smart enough to know that "differing opines" is poor grammar. :)

My reaction would have been the same even if it had been one of my "home" tracks, Laurel or Pimlico. I didn't realize feelings for Bay Meadows ran so deep, so I'll try to be more sensitive next time they announce the end of racing.
I'll have to check with the Balt School District on the grammar aspect. :D
Or, I'll have to send my scripts to AndiC as you do for grammatical clarification.

I missed the meeting to hear that sensitivity of a track closure is now officially out of vogue.

I long to be as cutting edge as you.

[dylbert]

Several factors have led to demise of Bay Meadows as racetrack. It appears that synthetic track situation has only accelerated its closure.

(1) Land is worth more in some other use -- commercial, residential, or mix. Longacres disappeared to development venture. Hollywood Park may be next. My college real estate professor told us that only thing to remember with real estate is, "land will go to its highest and best use."

(2) Oversaturation of race dates in northern California has helped contribute to too many five-horse fields. Short fields offer little value to serious bettors. Using economics again, bettors will take their "dollar votes" elsewhere. Best examples today -- Tampa Bay Downs, Evangeline Downs, and Sunland Park. Off-the-beaten path venues that run full fields in many, many races which attracts simulcast bettor and his dollars.

(3) Competition. NorCal racing could never compete with SoCal circuit. Bigger purses at SA, Hol, Dmr, and OSA lure best Cal-breds. Open company racing takes similar path. Loneliest job in racing must be either GG or BM racing secretary position.

Now, for issue about race tracks closing. Jefferson Downs in suburban New Orleans closed many years ago. Its demise improved thoroughbred racing in Louisiana. FG and LaD have both reduced dates in recent years to improve quality of their respective products. Yes, casino/racinos have been boon to Louisiana racing scene as well. Again, horsemen will follow bigger purses. Fair Grounds has had fantastic meet. 2007-2008 season should attract even more top-flight operations as post-Katrina FG meet proves New Orleans is still super winter racing destination.

I don't think CJ is reveling in Bay Meadows closure decision. Part of solution to healthy racing industry throughout North America is fewer tracks, fewer races that will promote larger fields, larger pools which in turn will drive bigger purses for horsemen, bigger profits for operators, and bigger returns to horseplayers.

Good luck at windows & may you get 4-to-1 for life!

[andicap]

The Ca tracks brought on artificial tracks themselves- 12 fatal breeakdowns in 23 days within sight of the SF liberals because these tracks GGF, BM, Hol, SA run their tracks as fast and as hard as possible.

Why throw in a gratutious political remark that is wholly irrelevant? What does the liberlism of one of America's greatest cities have to do with the hardness of the tracks in that area. Do liberals favor faster times and speedier tracks while conservatives like them deeper with more cushion?
Who is in favor of polytracks? Or are we taking Socialists here?

[JustRalph]

This isn't the first time the closing of tracks has come up. I think about 35% could close tomorrow and it would be good for the sport. If 50% closed, it would be better.

The bottom line is Norcal Racing has sucked for many years. When the product is that bad...............in this day and age..........not many will miss it. I am all for respecting history......when it comes to monuments and stuff, but a business/sport that isn't up to it...........is not a question of history. It is a question of the contribution it makes to the sport, and the viability of the product. In this case............ Bay Meadows going away is a blip on the screen............a very big screen............and a tiny little blip

[ryesteve]

Why throw in a gratutious political remark that is wholly irrelevant? What does the liberlism of one of America's greatest cities have to do with the hardness of the tracks in that area. Do liberals favor faster times and speedier tracks?
I guess it's so that the state's share of the takeout will hit the coffer's two seconds sooner, allowing them to spend it all on entitlement programs that much faster :D

[jma]

The polytrack thing was obviously just an excuse to move up the closing date that was coming anyway. The track had been purchased by a LAND DEVELOPMENT company, so I don't understand the few who are surprised it's closing or see a conspiracy. It's a pure business deal. The land is a lot more valuable for commercial or business use than for a racetrack, unless they have slot machines (of course) and that wasn't happening. Yes, it's sad to see a historic place close, but the racing was close to unbettable, so I can't say it will affect me. If the powers that be (horsemen, owners, track management) had cut back racing dates years earlier to fit the number of horses they had available, maybe they could have saved themselves. They needed a bold move, like fewer months of racing, not one less day a few weeks out of the year. Now they'll have shops or condos instead, just like we do in NJ where Garden State Park used to be.

[how cliche]

As a Northern California native this headline doesn't surprise me. However, I wouldn't close the doors just yet. Stories like this one pop up from time to time with nothing changing in the longer run. See the SF Giants being purchased and moving out...twice. They're still here.


Okay, there's been a lot of NorCal criticism lodged in this thread & I disagree with some of it. Not all races have short fields with short priced winners. And the product is nowhere near unbettable as many have implied. These are indeed problems on many racing days, but they are solvable problems. In my opinion Northern California's racing is worst when it should be best, in the summer. People who bet races generally dislike the fair circuit. I would love a summer meet at one track, perhaps Santa Rosa, which has a turf course. I would also like to see a winter break for all of November, December and January.

Where does this announcement place GGF if/when BM closes? Does she become like Philadelphia Park is on the East Coast?

Real quick, it would be nice if there was someone on the chrb who wasn't an owner looking out for only owner's interests.

[1st time lasix]

Each of us may have personal favorite racing venues. I love to follow Gulfstream, Tampa, Keeneland, and Saratoga on the east coast. I play certain races at Arlington, Fairgrounds and Belmont as well. Why on earth do they have racing dates at Hawthorne in March? Ol' Bonnie must freeze her lips on that horn! In my opinion.....they could close Aqueduct in the winter, Calder in mid-Summer, and Philadelpha anytime...it wouldn't bother me much since I refuse to play them at those times of year anyway. Isn't Bay Meadows the preferred venue for TVG at this time of year? Boy..... are they hurting for quality winter racing.

[skate]

too many tracks with too few hoses. hence , not enough fans, hence, the fence, by.

i mean sell!

[Light]

GG is my home track so BM is a close relative. They've been talking about closing BM for some time now and the only reason it was sooner than later is because of POLY. They allready have plans for a new track.

As far as the 5 horse fields,I dont see the difference between a favorite winning in a 5 horse field and a 12 horse field. Last Friday I played BM,the late pk4 payed $1687 with their skimpy fields. Next day I played Tampa with 13 races and full fields. Chalk for the first 12 races. Tampas pick 4's paid $200 and $130. Is that your idea of quality racing? You can have it. The point is more is not allways better.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Why throw in a gratutious political remark that is wholly irrelevant? What does the liberlism of one of America's greatest cities have to do with the hardness of the tracks in that area. Do liberals favor faster times and speedier tracks while conservatives like them deeper with more cushion?
Who is in favor of polytracks? Or are we taking Socialists here?
___________________
"In 2004, the state's horse tracks and card rooms sponsored a ballot proposal that would have allowed them to operate slots as well. The initiative was vehemently opposed by the powerful gaming tribes, however, and was defeated.

Since then, California horse-racing interests have tried to convince elected officials the industry will die unless it is allowed to find another revenue source.

"Since the state has bargained away our ability to respond to competition, they should consider a way to mitigate that," said Joe Lang, lobbyist for Bay Meadows Land Co., which owns Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo.

The industry needs an extra $300 million a year to survive and compete with other states, he said. Half of that would go to higher purses for race winners, the other half primarily to track improvements and advertising that would draw customers."
____________________
The refusal to slow the tracks helped cause injuries and short fields- this was substantiated by UCDavis studies. Short fields is acknowleged by CHRB to help cause the downturn in betting and attendance and the reason artificial tracks were mandated; it is the real reason for cutting off Wednesday racing the last weeks; and part of the reason horsemen left.
I threw in the gratutious political remark because I circulated the original Ca lottery petition as well as the 2004 racetrack slots petition in Ca; I have also watched the "indians" buy a cardroom 2 miles from GGF and expansion was allowed; but generally the liberals in the bay area do not want slots too close to the major population- Oakland tried to convince people to allow an indian casino in Oakland 1 mile from where I live but it was turned down bigtime. So was the racetrack slots, and it was also partly because of the general public's dislike of horseracing around here. Before the track slots petition started circulating most people in the SF Bay area knew it was the tracks that were majorily behind it and it was the main reason cited by the vast majority of people who refused to sign it for me. Some papers who in recent years covered the possible closing of BM and GGF were very quick to advocate for low-cost housing instead of racing on the properties.
The libs are active in protesting "animal abuse" at times, especially whenever a circus come to the SF Bay Area, and currently at a San Jose KFC protest.
Almost everybody I meet with dogs while walking by own are from shelters.

[kenwoodallpromos]

From a north bay weekly paper-

"In the north state, Perini built the Las Vegas-style Thunder Valley Casino for the United Auburn Indian Community in Placer County, not far from Sacramento.

The project was financed with $215 million from Station Casinos, a Nevada-based gambling corporation that develops Indian casinos and manages them for 25 percent of the take. Thunder Valley was the second casino that Perini constructed for Station Casinos. When it opened two years ago, the Northern California gambling market--with 23 working Indian casinos and 14 more proposed--was saturated.

As Las Vegas-controlled casinos proliferate in the North Bay, it is important to understand the hidden rules that govern where casinos do and do not get built. Enter Feinstein, a longtime proponent of Indian gambling, Indian sovereignty and tribal exemption from civil regulation--except when it suits her purpose to challenge Indian sovereignty and the exemption from environmental law that it bestows."

[cj]

GG is my home track so BM is a close relative. They've been talking about closing BM for some time now and the only reason it was sooner than later is because of POLY. They allready have plans for a new track.

As far as the 5 horse fields,I dont see the difference between a favorite winning in a 5 horse field and a 12 horse field. Last Friday I played BM,the late pk4 payed $1687 with their skimpy fields. Next day I played Tampa with 13 races and full fields. Chalk for the first 12 races. Tampas pick 4's paid $200 and $130. Is that your idea of quality racing? You can have it. The point is more is not allways better.

You can always cite examples that contradict the norm. However, in the long run, bigger fields result in less favorites winning and better payouts. They also generate more handle, which is certainly good for the game.

[delayjf]

CJ, JustRalph

Can't argue with your positions - but God I sure miss old Ak-SAR-BEN. I wish Florida could work something out to bring Hialeah back.

[Indulto]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=38118 (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=38118)
Bay Meadows' Days Numbered After CHRB Vote by Jack Shinar
… Track owner Bay Meadows Land Company, which plans to redevelop the remaining racetrack property when economic conditions are more favorable, would not make the estimated $8 million investment in the struggling track, Liebau told the board. He also was unable to assure the board that the track would stay open for the full two years.

… Unless there is a change in direction by either BMLC or the board, the final meeting for Bay Meadows would run from Aug. 22 to Nov. 4.

… Moretti … noted that Bay Meadows could still apply for up to four weeks of racing dates.What happens if Bay Meadows applies for multiple non-consecutive meets of less than 4 weeks duration, perhaps even by different operators like Oak Tree at SA?

Maybe there's a synthetic surface vendor out there motivated enough to defer some % of profit.

How is the situation affected by voter approval or disapproval of the Dixon Downs project?

[alysheba88]

That's the problem with the youth of today. They have no respect for history.

You don't like NoCal racing - don't bet it. On a disclosed day of a venue shut-down how bout takin' a break from your supposed level of expertise in the game.

Your pace figures rock - Or, so I hear.

Your stomp on a track closure is for shit. OK?

Listen I used to go to BM and GG and will always have a fondness for both. But BM does suck and it should be cancelled. Many more tracks should follow suit

[SAL]

I got hooked on racing at Bay Meadows so it will always be special to me.

But I knew years ago that it was doomed, the area around the track had been developed and Bay Meadows was not going to survive.

The polytrack issue was just a good excuse to shutdown early. And the quality of racing there did decline drastically over the last few years. Plus the plant itself needed a facelift. Sorry to see it go, but it's probably for the best.

[maxwell]

As the old saying goes : You can't stop progress. Eventually no one will remember these tracks; just as many of us know nothing of the tracks that bit the dust many moons ago.

You don't see too many Ford Model A's going down the highway these days.

[Light]

You sharpies keep playing your major tracks like Aqueduct that paid $15 for the late Pk3. :ThmbUp: Keep knocking Bm. This evening the first pk3 pays $90 with a 5 horse field max in each leg. Yeah, Bm sucks. :rolleyes: I'll take my $90 and you can have your $15 at Aqueduct. :sleeping:

[philsfan07]

Where are those 20 horses going to go?

I remember in the 'olden days' when you had to wait for the last race to bet the trifecta at your home track, cause that was the only race it was offered.

I almost feel the same way at Bay Meadows anymore.

[chickenhead]

Wonder if they're going to utilize Santa Rosa and/or Pleasanton for training/stabling.

I always found BM mildly depressing, it really needed an upgrade. For whatever reason I prefer GG. I hope they do the right thing and try to up their game.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Wonder if they're going to utilize Santa Rosa and/or Pleasanton for training/stabling.

I always found BM mildly depressing, it really needed an upgrade. For whatever reason I prefer GG. I hope they do the right thing and try to up their game.
They use Pl some now- there is Stockton and Vallejo sloae also.

[chrisl]

Rumor on the street is, that if the Dixon Downs is not passed, that Calexpo will get a new track and a complete remodel.The harness racing will go to Los Alamitos, and Calexpo Thoroughbred racing. Just something I have heard. Living by Calexpo, I am hoping this is true.

[PaceAdvantage]

You sharpies keep playing your major tracks like Aqueduct that paid $15 for the late Pk3. :ThmbUp: Keep knocking Bm. This evening the first pk3 pays $90 with a 5 horse field max in each leg. Yeah, Bm sucks. :rolleyes: I'll take my $90 and you can have your $15 at Aqueduct. :sleeping:

Heaven help us if it all it takes is one pick 3 sequence to make or break a track's reputation....

[BlueShoe]

Dont hold your breath waiting for the buggies to return to Los Alamitos.Doc Allred,the controlling owner and operator of the quarter horse track,has had major disagreements with the harness horse people in the past and is very unlikely to permit the sport to return to his track.