Los Alamitos to seek final approval on Thoroughbred expansion plans

Los Alamitos officials will appear before the Cypress, Calif., city council on Dec. 9, seeking final approval of its plan to expand the racetrack to accommodate Thoroughbred racing in 2014.

Track officials will present plans to develop property once used as a golf course to expand its current five-eighth-mile track to just less than a mile. In addition, the project will require the relocation a television patrol tower, extensive fencing adjacent to a street on the north side of the property, and landscaping to remodel a lake that once was part of the golf course.

Doug Hawkins, the planning manager for the City of Cypress, said earlier this month that city officials had not reached a formal opinion on the project, but did not see any impediment to approval.

“It’s a pretty straightforward project,” Hawkins said.

Los Alamitos consultant Brad McKinzie said track superintendent Dennis Moore expects to complete the expansion by Jan. 22. Los Alamitos will open its barn area to Southern California Thoroughbred stables in late January in advance of the closure of the Betfair Hollywood Park stable area on Jan. 31.

McKinzie said Los Alamitos plans to present the stakes schedule for the two-week Thoroughbred meeting in July 2014 at the Dec. 17 racing board meeting.

Los Alamitos will conduct five weeks of Thoroughbred racing in 2014, taking dates once held by Hollywood Park. Aside from the two-week meeting in early July, Los Alamitos will have three weeks of racing in early December 2014.