SoCal racing dates, post-Hollywood

[VastinMT]

Looks like Los Al will become a mile track -- THIS FALL -- and pick up a two- and a three-week meet. Stabling gets spread around. And Del Mar gets a November meet:

http://www.drf.com/news/california-h...5-racing-dates

[BlueShoe]

It would seem that SA and LosAl have come out the winners in the date reallocation scramble. Del Mar keeps their traditional dates and gets a November meet, which I still am not optimistic about. Los Al expanding to a mile and picking up Hol stakes? Expand to where is my question, and also hardly think that there is room for a turf course in addition.

[dilanesp]

Consultant Brad McKinzie said Los Alamitos intends to expand its dirt track from its current five-eighth-mile circumference to a mile this fall

I will believe this when I see it.

Similar racing dates were finalized for 2015, with possible changes to the autumn months if Del Mar succeeds in attracting the Breeders’ Cup for the first time.

Not happening.

The more general take I take from this is look how desperate these people are to have year round racing. Running 2 meets at once, day and night, at Los Alamitos? They really couldn't stand the idea of a 3 week break in July? (And sorry, Orange County isn't a booming horse racing market. Los Al did fairly well in the late 1970's and 1980's. It has never been particularly successful since then, despite having very high quality quarter horse racing.)

A lot of this stuff isn't going to work. Los Al is going to take a long time to expand to a mile track, which requires design, permits, moving a lot of things around, etc. And they are going to have to do it on the fly while running their quarter horse races.

So let's see how many horsemen really ship their horses over to run on a bullring in July and December of 2014, and how many Southern California racing fans give a damn. My bet is not many on both counts.

[Just a Fan]

They are not adding a turf course. In addition, they aren't expanding the track the way they should - they are doing the quick fix - just moving the far turn further out to the west (into the old golf course, if you know Los Al). So the turns will still be bullring turns. The meet is not likely to have a major league feel to it, although they will apparently host a 500,000 derby.

Sounds like they found a decent solution to the stabling issue, which is probably more important.

[BlueShoe]

Originally Posted by Just a Fan

They are not adding a turf course. In addition, they aren't expanding the track the way they should - they are doing the quick fix - just moving the far turn further out to the west (into the old golf course, if you know Los Al). So the turns will still be bullring turns.

Quite so. Another point is where do you put the people if you are expecting to run a SA or HOL type meeting? The grandstand is quite small, as is the clubhouse. The clubhouse can be crowded on a big busy simulcast weekend day. Parking? The lot is pretty big, see no problems there, hardly think cars would spill over into Costco's.

[Tom]

Not a lot of room for expansion.....as it is, looks like they might have a water hazard on the far turn.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by BlueShoe

Quite so. Another point is where do you put the people if you are expecting to run a SA or HOL type meeting? The grandstand is quite small, as is the clubhouse. The clubhouse can be crowded on a big busy simulcast weekend day. Parking? The lot is pretty big, see no problems there, hardly think cars would spill over into Costco's.

Actually the grandstand is 3 levels. Back when quarter horse and harness racing were bigger deals, that place drew pretty well.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Tom

Not a lot of room for expansion.....as it is, looks like they might have a water hazard on the far turn.

The golf course is closed but it is part of the LA flood control system, so they can't just start tearing it up even with a city building permit. They will also need approval from the County and probably the Army Corps of Engineers, and a CEQA report.

This isn't happening soon. They just said what the CHRB wanted to hear to get the dates.

[Al Gobbi]

Los Al's "meets" will probably look mostly identical to what is currently being run at Fairplex.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Al Gobbi

Los Al's "meets" will probably look mostly identical to what is currently being run at Fairplex.

I think this is an astute comment.

[BlueShoe]

Originally Posted by Al Gobbi

Los Al's "meets" will probably look mostly identical to what is currently being run at Fairplex.

That is fine with me. Back when they ran an OC Fair meeting in the late 80's early 90's the quality of racing was not all that bad. Trying to be the new Hollypark is not going to work, imo, but emulating Fairplex would.

As for expanding to a mile, still asking where, in what direction? North is Cerritos Avenue, south is the grandstand/clubhouse, so that is out. West toward the old golf course? An earlier post brought up why going that way might not be approved. That leaves east toward what is now the clubhouse parking lot, and there is a church and church school in that direction. The clubhouse turn right outside the pulpit window? Save the expansion costs and keep the 5/8 oval would be my suggestion.

[RaceBookJoe]

Mentioned this in another thread at one time, but a few years back, not sure if it was online or in the DRF, but there was an artists conception of supposed plans to expand Los Al. Cant remember if it included a turf course or not, don't remember so.