Agreement reached on 2020 Northern California racing dates

After months of discussion, the racing calendar for Northern California was finalized at the California Horse Racing Board’s monthly meeting on Thursday, with a majority of the dates at Golden Gate Fields in Albany.

The Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale, the northernmost racing meeting in the state, will race for one week without competition from Golden Gate Fields in late August, providing a much-needed revenue boost for the small venue.

The county fair portion of the calendar had been discussed for months by officials from the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa; the California Authority of Racing Fairs, which represents the fairs other than Sonoma; Golden Gate Fields; and members of the racing board, with the issue of individual racing weeks at the center of the conversation.

The finalized calendar incorporates dates in which the active track will receive revenue from simulcasting but will not be racing. For that purpose, Golden Gate Fields has been awarded dates from Dec. 18 to June 16, 2020, but will not begin its meeting until Dec. 26. June 16 is a Tuesday. The final day of the Golden Gate Fields meeting is expected to be June 14.

Other dates are the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton from June 17 to July 14; Cal-Expo in Sacramento from July 15 to Aug. 4; the Sonoma County Fair from Aug. 5-18; the Humboldt County Fair from Aug. 19 to Sept. 1; Golden Gate Fields from Aug. 26 to Oct. 6; the Big Fresno Fair from Oct. 7-20; and Golden Gate Fields from Oct. 21 to Dec. 15.

Humboldt’s first week will not include racing from Golden Gate Fields.