2009 California Racing Dates
The California Horse Racing Board recently convened to plan and approve the new racing schedule for 2009 for the Northern and Southern Thoroughbred racing, Standardbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. Although some feel that the schedule is not planned with sufficient flow to accommodate smooth shipping from one event to the next, it is hoped that in future these small issues will be able to be sorted out. The unforeseen closure of Bay Meadows has caused some disruption in the schedule due to racing events having to be relocated.
Some schedules have remained almost unchanged, with a few racecourses making amendments to their racing days. Santa Anita Racecourse will host a full schedule of racing that will consist of eighty four racing days beginning on the 26th of December to the 19th of April 2009, but have changed back to racing from Wednesday to Sunday. It will also be host to the Oak Tree’s meet that runs from the 30th of September till the 8th of November. Although it is uncertain if Hollywood will host horse racing through out the year, the schedule has included them for the spring meeting between the 22nd of April and the 19th of July, and for fall, which takes place between the 11th of November until 21 December.
Fairplex has horse racing scheduled for 10th of September until the 28th of September; while Del Mar has been approved for the 22nd of July until the 9th of September. A hundred and eighty one days have been approved for the Golden Gate Fields Racecourse and ten racing days have been given to Santa Rosa. The Sacramento Cal Expo will run between the 26th of August and the 7t of September, with Fresno, Stockton and either Vallejo or Pleasanton also falling within the schedule.
In the Quarter Horse Schedule, Los Alamitos has two hundred and one racing days allocated from the 1st of January until the 20th of December, while Cal Expo will host their racing events from the 26th of December until the 19 of December 2009, and consists of a hundred and forty eight racing days. Though some events and racecourses have not been confirmed, most of the racing schedule has been completed by the California Horse Racing Board. From the brief overview for 2009, it seems that California will be alive with horse racing action throughout the year.
