Brinson to be starter for Los Alamitos Quarter Horse races

Gary Brinson has been hired as starter for the year-round Los Alamitos Quarter Horse meeting, a move that has ramifications for the Southern California Thoroughbred circuit.

Brinson was scheduled to be the starter for the Del Mar summer meeting that begins on July 17, but said on Wednesday that he has resigned from that position.

“I hated to give up Del Mar,” he said. “They’ve been good to me.”

It was unclear on Wednesday who will work as starter at Del Mar.

Brinson will replace John Baker as the starter of the Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred races that run during the evening meeting at Los Alamitos. Brinson’s first night will be Friday.

Baker submitted his resignation on Tuesday after nine years of service, the track announced in a statement on Wednesday. The statement also announced Brinson’s hiring.

Brinson has a 30-year history as a starter at Southern California tracks, having started races at Hollywood Park in 1984 until the track closed last December. In addition, Brinson became the starter at Del Mar in 1997.

Brinson has worked as a Quarter Horse starter at Los Alamitos and was the starter for the Orange County Fair mixed meeting, which was last run in 1991.

During the upcoming Los Alamitos daytime Thoroughbred meeting from July 3-13, Jay Slender will be the starter. Slender is the starter at Santa Anita.