Rancho Paseana sold, closing

Rancho Paseana, a lay-up and training center in northern San Diego County near Del Mar, is closing later this month after owner Jenny Craig decided to sell the property, according to training center manager Clifford Sise.

Sise said that Rancho Paseana has had as many as 260 horses on the grounds, but will be vacated later this month. The property is in escrow, he said Friday.

Most of the horses based there were 2-year-olds being prepared for their first starts or horses returning to racing from comebacks. Sise said they will be relocated to racetracks.

Friday, he lamented the loss of the facility.

“It was the best place,” he said. “You had a great racetrack and great weather.”

Sise said that Craig has decided to sell the property because of her advanced age and desire to travel and spend time with family. The farm was developed by Jenny Craig’s late husband, Sid.

Craig reached her decision in recent weeks, and it came as a surprise to Sise, he said.

Earlier this year, Sise appeared before the California Horse Racing Board asking for approval to have official workouts held at Rancho Paseana. He was in the process of finalizing that procedure when Craig announced her intentions.

Sise said that if a sale falls through the property could be purchased by horse owners who are “interested in buying it and keeping it open,” he said.