Thoroughbred racing in California has been on the receiving end of some harsh blows in recent months, but the state's horse racing board got a bit of good news March 19 when the president of Hollywood Park assured commissioners that it would run its 2009 fall/winter meet as planned.
"Yes, Hollywood Park will conduct its fall meet," track president Jack Liebau told the California Horse Racing Board to the applause of about 60 people who attended the meeting at Golden Gate Fields in Albany.
The 238-acre site is in the midst of pursuing land use entitlements from the city of Inglewood that will enable the track's owners, Bay Meadows Land Co., to redevelop the property at a reported cost of $2 billion. Previously, the track would not commit to race beyond the 65-day spring/summer meet, which is to begin April 22. With Liebau's assurance, Hollywood will also run from Nov. 11 to Dec. 21, dates the board approved late last year without guarantee they would be honored.
Chairman John Harris said that the racing industry needs to turn out in force to lobby the Inglewood City Council and other elected officials against the development plan, which the city has said it expects to come up for approval by the end of the year.
"I don't know if racing has been as vocal as it could be on that," Harris said. "As tough as the economy is today, the track will generate a lot more revenue than would an empty lot, which is what Bay Meadows apparently is."
Bay Meadows, demolished late last year after getting approval for a redevelopment project on 83 acres from the City of San Mateo, is now a huge pile of rubble. The mixed use development project has been postponed indefinitely because of the tight economic conditions. That property is also owned by the Bay Meadows Land Co.
Pressed on whether he could commit to racing beyond the end-of-year meet, Liebau said he "was not in a position" to do so.
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