Halfway through the Alameda County Fair horse racing meet ā one of the highlights of the Fair each summer ā has been an a much-anticipated success.
Through the first six days of racing, the handle for the Fair is ahead compared to last year and that goes with a couple of hot days that can jeopardize attendance and affect the handle.
And it came with fewer than normal races.
According to Equibase, a general partnership of subsidiaries of the TRA and The Jockey Club. It provides the Thoroughbred racetracks of North America with a uniform, industry-owned database of racing information and statistics.
Take opening day on June 14. There were only six races on the card, yet the racing handle was an amazing $1,041,262.
Through the first six days of racing in 2023 there was $6,903,958 in handle, with a total of 47 races. This year in the first six days, there has been $7,101,236 in handle with only 45 races.
A great start to be sure.
Here is the most overlooked aspect of the future success of Northern California horse racing in Pleasanton.
In full disclosure, I work for the Alameda County Fair horse racing, and have spent several years working for the Sonoma County Fair during its horse racing meet.
I am pro Northern California horse racing, always have been and always will be.
I have been involved in and around horse racing for 45-plus years. Iāve seen first-hand the good times and the bad times. I have seen great decisions made, as well as some bad mistakes.
The sport has a big climb to make but itās moving in the right direction, and this is the first time Iāve felt like that in many years.
Iāve said this before, but I believe it is necessary to mention it again after the first two weeks of the Fair, as it was clear if you spent any time around the track through the first six days of racing.
While it is fully understood it is a business first, no business is going to achieve longevity while continually losing money, nor is a business going to grow if there is no passion involved.
This is what Pleasanton has in aces over what Golden Gate Fields missed poorly on ā the lack of passion.
I am not talking about the horse racing family ā the heart of the industry, such as trainers, grooms, outriders, pony riders, the gate crew, office workers, etc.
This is truly a family, but it takes more than that to make the industry work.
I am drawing reference to people that sit behind desks and push buttons without having boots on the ground. They may say the right thing but saying is one thing, while doing is an entirely a different beast.
This past weekend it was great to have a member of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on hand for the Sheās A Tiger stakes race.
There was nothing but smiles all around, with a full sense of pride worn by all involved.
There are people involved at several levels with the Alameda County Fair, Golden State Racing (the new governing body of NorCal racing), and the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF), who are local, either being raised in Pleasanton, or nearby.
We were raised around horse racing and spent hours of our formative years in or around the industry. It has been an especially important part of our lives. We grew up around people with boots on the ground and fully appreciated what they have and continue to do.
For so many of us, we are now part of the boots on the ground brigade. There is a tremendous amount of pride for us in making year-round racing in Pleasanton again.
It is personal and that is the difference. Horse racing year-round in Pleasanton will survive and will rebuild the sport to a healthy level.