Southern California stabling options being discussed by horsemen's groups

Officials with the California Thoroughbred Trainers sent a proposal to the Thoroughbred Owners of California late Thursday, emphasizing their position that Barretts Racing at Fairplex Park in Pomona, Calif., should have a leading role in off-track stabling in Southern California beginning in 2014.

Representatives of the two horsemen’s groups and racetrack officials met at Santa Anita last Tuesday to discuss off-track stabling with the closure of Betfair Hollywood Park at the end of this year, but were unable to reach agreement.

There are more than 1,200 horses based at Hollywood Park, and finding stabling space for them and their trainers has become a priority.

The CTT has argued for horses to be based at Fairplex Park, which is 20 miles from Santa Anita. The TOC has countered with a proposal for stables to be based at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County and Los Alamitos in Orange County. Los Alamitos is 35 miles from Santa Anita, while San Luis Rey Downs is about 100 miles away.

The TOC has said that the San Luis Rey Downs-Los Alamitos proposal is more affordable than having horses based at Fairplex Park.

CTT president Jim Cassidy said on Friday that the proposal sent to the TOC argued that a training base at Fairplex Park would be more convenient for racing at Santa Anita. He said having stables based at San Luis Rey Downs or Los Alamitos could lead to a drop in average field size.