2016 racing dates subject of CHRB meeting

Southern California racetracks and horsemen’s organizations have yet to reach an agreement on 2016 racing dates, an issue scheduled to be discussed at Friday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting in Del Mar.

The racing calendar for 2016 could be finalized Friday. The options include a calendar largely unchanged from 2014 and 2015 or one that gives Los Alamitos three-week meetings in the spring and early summer and a two-week meeting in December. Under that plan, Los Alamitos would not race in September, with racing shifting to Santa Anita during that time.

Santa Anita and Del Mar have proposed a 2016 calendar similar to the last two years – with Santa Anita racing from Dec. 26, 2015, to June 30, 2016, and from Sept. 29 to Nov. 6. The autumn meeting would include the Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 4-5.

Under that plan, Del Mar would race from July 13 to Sept. 5 and from Nov. 10 to Dec. 4. Los Alamitos would hold three meetings – July 1-11, Sept. 8-25, and Dec. 8-18. The December meeting would be one week shorter than in 2014 and 2015.

Los Alamitos has proposed a break in the marathon Santa Anita meeting, and for the Orange County track to run from April 14 to May 1, June 23 to July 10, and Dec. 8-18. Under that plan, Santa Anita would end its winter-spring meeting April 10, resume from May 5 to June 19, and open its fall meeting Sept. 8 going through Nov. 6.

In June, the California Thoroughbred Trainers Association requested that a spring meeting be held at Los Alamitos to allow for a refurbishment of the Santa Anita main track and for the turf course to be rested. According to racing-board documents, the Thoroughbred Owners of California has requested that Los Alamitos run no longer than three consecutive weeks because the track does not have a turf course.

On Friday, the racing board is scheduled to review 2015 applications for a September meeting at Los Alamitos and the Santa Anita autumn meeting.

Los Alamitos will run for 10 racing days – Sept. 10-25, ending on a Friday. Santa Anita will open its autumn meeting Saturday, Sept. 26, with a day of preps for the Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Oct. 30-31. The meeting will continue through Oct. 25.

One race not included on Santa Anita’s preliminary stakes schedule submitted to the board is the $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles, which in past years has been a prep for the BC Turf.

Track racing secretary Rick Hammerle said on Wednesday that a slightly shortened autumn meeting will limit the amount of money generated for stakes purses. He said the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship will be on the track’s 2016 stakes schedule.

“Nothing is finalized yet,” he said. “We had to make a decision on which stakes to cut down, with total respect for what we need to do for the industry and provide as many BC prep races as possible.”

He said the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf and two seven-furlong races for California-breds – the Golden State Juvenile and Golden State Juvenile Fillies – will be shifted from Santa Anita to Del Mar this year and will return to Santa Anita in 2016.

◗ In a closed session Friday, stewards are scheduled to rule on an appeal by jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who is seeking to regain his license following a suspension in March 2014 for failing to ride at Santa Anita in January 2014.

Valenzuela’s case was heard by an administrative law judge last month. The board can approve or reject the law judge’s decision. At the time of his suspension, Santa Anita stewards wrote that Valenzuela “not be eligible for a jockey’s license or exercise rider’s license.”