The new-look 2018 California fair season opens Friday as the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meet starts a four-week run at the Alameda County Fair. Though temperatures were in the 90s on Tuesday, the rest of the week is expected to be cooler. Last year, opening day was canceled because of excessive heat. The new-look schedule sees Pleasanton running for four weeks, through July 8, but not offering racing in September, as it has done the past two years. The schedule also will include two weeks of racing (Aug. 2-12) at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa rather than the usual three. Santa Rosa has eliminated a pair of 2-year-old stakes races, the Wine Country Debutante and the Jess Jackson. The Humboldt County Fair at Ferndale will get to run its first week as the lone Northern California racing site, without its usual overlap with Golden Gate Fields. Heading into the fair season, Larry Swartzlander, executive director of the California Authority of Racing Fairs, said his concerns are mostly about behind-the-scenes problems such as stabling issues, and he thinks the atmosphere is positive for racing. “Having a Triple Crown winner is good for racing,” he said, referring to Justify’s victory in the Belmont Stakes last Saturday. “As I watched the television coverage, I was struck by the number of young faces among the fans.” For the past two years, Pleasanton offered three weeks of racing to open the fair season and two weeks in September. Tom Doutrich, racing secretary for the California fairs, is hopeful that racing for four consecutive weeks at Pleasanton will pay dividends. “Having four weeks could help us in getting horses to run twice,” said Doutrich, noting that Pleasanton will be running on Father’s Day this year. “The two weeks in September have traditionally been slow weeks in racing everywhere.” Purse levels at the fair tracks will remain about the same as last year. Doutrich said he has more horses available this year to fill races and is hoping for bigger fields. One race at Pleasanton that should get a good-sized field is the $50,000 Oak Tree Sprint for 3-year-olds and up on July 4. Doutrich thinks the race will attract horses who ran in the two divisions of the Albany Stakes at Golden Gate last Saturday. There is an extra week between races this year compared to last year. The other stakes scheduled for the Pleasanton meet are the $50,000 Juan Gonzalez for 2-year-old fillies on June 30 and the $100,000 Everett Nevin for 2-year-olds on July 7. Promotions during the Pleasanton meet include Beerfest on June 23; Sip, Savor & Wager wine event on June 30; and Craft Cocktail Festival on July 7.