As the only show in town, Ferndale begins eight-day meet

The town of Ferndale, Calif., with a population of approximately 1,500, is 260 miles north of Oakland and 430 miles south of Portland, Oregon.

Located in the far northwest corner of California, Ferndale is not easy to get to and yet the Humboldt County fair is a late summer destination for thousands in the region.

The fair’s racing meeting, on a half-mile track, is very much part of the draw.

The season begins Friday with a six-race program beginning at 3:15 p.m. Pacific, consisting of five races for Thoroughbreds and one for Quarter Horses.

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The eight-day meeting will be run through Sunday this weekend, followed by three days on Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, and on Sept. 7 and 8.

For the first time in recent memory, Ferndale is the only track operating in Northern California for the entirety of its three-week meeting, which is one week longer than in past years.

In recent years, Ferndale ran part of its meeting simultaneous to the opening week of the Golden Gate late summer meeting. Golden Gate closed permanently in June, leaving Ferndale alone on the Northern California calendar.

Without Golden Gate, Ferndale will reap higher revenue from simulcast wagering.

The main race of the brief season is the $50,000 Humboldt County Fair Marathon at 1 5/8 miles on Sept. 8. The purse has been increased from $20,000 last year, a reflection on anticipated revenue from simulcasting. The race is run over slightly more than three circuits on the small track.

Racing secretary Tom Doutrich said there has been an interest from as far away as Del Mar, 735 miles to the south, leaving the potential for a more diverse field in the Marathon.

The Ferndale meeting primarily draws stables from Northern California and Oregon. On Friday’s program, there are runners who had recent starts at Sacramento and Santa Rosa on the California fair circuit, as well as recent starters at Oregon venues such as Grants Pass, Tillamook, and Prineville.

Doutrich said on Wednesday that the track is housing approximately 250 horses, an increase of 100 from last year. Many Northern California trainers wait until horses have been entered before shipping, he said.

Last year, jockey Hugo Herrera, based in Northern California on a year-round basis, led all riders with 10 wins. Herrera has mounts in the five Thoroughbred races on Friday, which will be run at distances of five or seven furlongs.

Isidro Tamayo, also based in Northern California, led all trainers last year with nine wins, but does not have any runners on Friday. Gary Greiner, leading trainer in 2021 and second in 2022, has a starter on Friday in Mount Pelliar in the sixth race.

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