Racing fair season begins at Pleasanton
The Northern California fair circuit kicks off its 15-week season Thursday at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton with an eight-race card. The Oak Tree at Pleasanton meeting runs for three weeks, with racing on Thursdays through Sundays the first two weeks and Friday through Monday (July 4) the third week.
First post is 1:15 p.m. Pacific on all days except Fridays, when racing starts at 2:15. Admission to the fair is $10, which includes admission to the racetrack.
Following Pleasanton, racing moves to Sacramento for three weeks at the California State Fair, then three weeks at Santa Rosa for the Sonoma County Fair. The Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale will run in August at the same time as the Golden Gate Fields summer meet, then horses return to Pleasanton for a two-week meet in September and October that replaces a stop in Stockton. The fair season ends at Fresno in October.
There were 23 races carded on the final two days of the Golden Gate Fields meet last Saturday and Sunday, which probably took some horses who would have run during opening week at Pleasanton. Still, there were 53 horses entered for the eight races Saturday – an average of almost seven per race.
California Authority of Racing Fairs racing secretary Tom Doutrich is optimistic that he can maintain reasonable field sizes for the fair season.
“We’re holding about the same population that we had last year, and it helps that we have a few new trainers,” he said. “We were able to hold our overnight purses.”
With purses in many categories higher at Pleasanton than at Golden Gate, Doutrich is hopeful that some horses – particularly California-breds – might come north from Santa Anita.
The purse for the 5 1/2-furlong Everett Nevin for 2-year-old California-breds has been raised from $50,000 last year to $100,000. The race will be run July 3.
One stakes has been eliminated from last year’s program at Pleasanton, the Oak Tree Distaff for fillies and mares. Without that race, there will be no main-track route stakes scheduled for fillies and mares in Northern California this year.
In addition to its Thoroughbred stakes, Pleasanton will host the Grade 2 Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Arabian Cup, the second leg in the Emerald Arabian Triple Jewel, on July 2. The H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship for Arabians will be held the same day.
Chris Griffin, the former announcer for the Harlem Globetrotters, will call the Pleasanton, Sacramento, and Ferndale races this year. Griffin made his race-calling debut at Ferndale last year and then called races at Portland Meadows.
Among the seating options at Pleasanton is the Trackside Terrace, which offers buffet dining, and a luxury suite in the infield.
The track will hold a T-shirt giveaway on opening day.