Stronach plans to insure survival of his tracks

ARCADIA, Calif. – Frank Stronach, the Eclipse Award-winning owner and breeder whose family has owned Santa Anita for more than 20 years, unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to turn Santa Anita and other venues owned by his family over to a trust run by racing participants to ensure their survival as racetracks.

In addition to Santa Anita and Golden Gate in California, Stronach’s racing properties include Gulfstream Park in Florida and Pimlico and Laurel in Maryland.

But implementation in the near future, if at all, will be difficult. Stronach is embroiled in a legal dispute in Canadian courts with his daughter Belinda, who currently runs the tracks owned by The Stronach Group. Frank Stronach said the litigation is ongoing, but that he was hopeful for a ruling in his favor.

“I was shut out of the process the last few years,” he said.

“I am the rightful owner. Presently, those are not the rightful owners. I pleaded with my daughter. Let’s work something out. The stumbling block is the tracks are not for sale. They won’t be sold for developers.

“I want to make a commitment that it must stay racing forever.”

Stronach spoke Tuesday evening at a hotel near Santa Anita before a gathering of approximately 200 owners, trainers, jockeys, racetrack employees, and other interested parties for slightly less than two hours.

Under Stronach’s plan, some racetrack property not essential to racing, such as a space in parking lots, could be used for development. Stronach would like a group of “stakeholders” from within the sport to operate the racetracks under a plan in which the track is leased from The Stronach Group, who will receive a portion of profits.

Stronach’s speech occurred nearly four weeks after Santa Anita resumed racing after canceling 13 days of racing in March following a series of equine fatalities since late December. In March, the racetrack underwent an inspection and renovation. Since racing resumed March 29, there has been one fatality in racing or training.

In his wide-ranging speech, and in a question-and-answer session toward the end of the forum, Stronach repeatedly called for stricter medication rules. Santa Anita officials toughened some medication rules before racing resumed March 29 and created greater oversight for horses undergoing workouts or entered to race.

Stronach called for a “pension fund” for retired racehorses with a portion of handle dedicated to their well-being, but stopped well short of specifics on how to finance the plan.

“We’ve got to demonstrate to the public we care for the horses when they are racing and when they are done,” Stronach said.