I am truly saddened by this.
Golden Gate, just like Bay Meadows before it, had long been one of my 'go to' tracks for betting.
What I'm about to write may sound harsh.
But what I'm about to write is also the truth.
Imo, nobody should be surprised by the announcement.
The
dominoes began to fall back in 2010-2011 when handle at California's major thoroughbred tracks cratered in response to the takeout increase mandated by SB1072 - a bill that was vigorously lobbied for by California Horsemen, Track Management, and the California Horse Racing Board.
They never really recovered.
The time for corrective action would have been early on back in 2011 or 2012.
Instead they ignored the root cause of the problem.
Over the years the reduced handle, resulting reduction in track revenue, and resulting reduced money available for purses compounded.
They were forced to cut dates, cut employee hours, announce layoffs, cut purses, and eventually close tracks.
Imo, almost all of the wounds were self inflicted.
And here we are.
-jp
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