Avioli, TOC ponder best way to proceed during coronavirus pandemic

Angling for a resumption of racing at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita, seeking methods to fund workers’ compensation costs, and planning a summer season were among the topics that occupied Greg Avioli’s afternoon Wednesday amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

Avioli, the former Breeders’ Cup president, is the president and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the state’s official representative of Thoroughbred horsemen.

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Wednesday, Avioli said racing is unlikely to resume at Golden Gate Fields or Santa Anita until closer to the end of the month, with government officials urging people to remain at home during the pandemic.

Both tracks would need approval from their respective county health departments to resume racing, more than likely without spectators. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health ordered Santa Anita closed on March 27, six days before Alameda County officials issued the same order for Golden Gate Fields. The venues were deemed nonessential businesses during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We don’t have a lot more information than anyone else on when California will go back to normal,” Avioli said.

“I would say that it’s unlikely in the next week that you will see any changes in LA County just on horse racing. As the state and county ease restrictions, that is when you will see an opportunity to open fanless racing.

“We’d love to have racing with fans. We’d settle right now for racing.”

Horsemen are concerned about funding three stabling venues in Southern California without steady income from a portion of takeout from mutuel handle. Santa Anita will have lost nine days of racing through Sunday because of the coronavirus outbreak. Racing there is a source of revenue for offtrack stabling, through the Southern California offtrack satellite network, and for workers’ compensation costs.

Avioli said meetings are scheduled to find funding mechanisms for offtrack stabling and to help with workers’ compensation premiums.

Last weekend, Southern California trainers were informed they must pay $1,233 per horse in their stables to cover workers’ compensation costs in the first quarter of the year. Without racing, the fund cannot cover those costs. Trainers were left furious at the notice. Owners and trainers are continuing to maintain staff to exercise and care for horses.

The TOC is planning a conference call in coming weeks to provide updates on those and other issues, Avioli said.

Santa Anita is scheduled to race through June 21, followed by a two-week summer meeting at Los Alamitos beginning June 25 and an eight-week meet at Del Mar from July 18-Sept. 7.

The dates and formats for those meetings could change as the horse population is better known and government policies regarding the coronavirus outbreak are updated.

There are approximately 2,500 horses in training at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, and the San Luis Rey Downs training center, Avioli said. The number of horses rises to peak level in the summer when 2-year-olds begin racing.

“What we’re hearing is that owners are waiting to see when the start date for California will be before they bring them to train for racing,” Avioli said.

Del Mar is scheduled to run five days a week for much of its summer meeting, but the horse population could affect that schedule.

“If the state is open for business, Del Mar will run,” Avioli said. “There will be so much pent-up demand from owners, trainers, and fans.

“You have to look at all scenarios. When is racing going to come back? What is the horse population? The horse population will dictate how much racing they have.”

Avioli said he was encouraged that the PGA Championship, one of golf’s major tournaments, has been rescheduled from May 14-17 to Aug. 6-9 in San Francisco.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

At the same time, Avioli said he is fully aware of the toll the coronavirus outbreak is taking on business, and not just horse racing. He said he has a friend in the Atlanta area who operates a hotel. Current occupancy is 5 percent.