Ron Charles, 61, who has been president of Santa Anita Park for 5 1/2 years, is resigning. His final day is today. General Manager George Haines will take over as interim president while MI Developments (MID) searches for a replacement.
George Haines leaving as President of Santa Anita Park to head Southern California Off Track Wagering, Incorporated. Tom Ludt has been appointed the new President, effective April 7, 2014. Ludt was hired a year ago as Senior Vice President, Racing and Gaming-Stronach Group. See hard copy in VF Santa Anita Park 2011-2020.
Trouble at Santa Anita Park. According to figures taken from Equibase, Santa Anita Park's total handle was down $77.1 million, or 17.7% from a year ago. If the current trend continues, the track's all-sources handle could show a decline of more than $100 million for the 2010-2011 meet. George Haines, the president of Santa Anita Park, has other troubles, including some wet weather, a players' boycott, and the inconsistencies of a new dirt racing surface.
Santa Anita Park's synthetic track surface will be removed and a new $5 million plus dirt surface, closely resembling the ones at Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park and the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga, will be installed. Ted Malloy is the racing surface consultant. He hopes to have the new track in by December 6.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments, the owner of Santa Anita Park, says he is optimistic his company can work out a new deal with developer Rick Caruso to build an outdoor mall at Santa Anita Park, even though he voided a 2005 joint-venture agreement with Caruso in April to build the Shops at Santa Anita mall in the race track's parking lot.
Faithful fans, such as Antonio Reyes, are missing the presence of Oak Tree Racing at Santa Anita Park this year. He says he will watch on television and bet off-track. Oak Tree is running at Hollywood Park in Inglewood starting today and next year too.
Santa Anita Park will reduce its work force by merging departments. More than 100 full-time and seasonal positions will be affected--including some layoffs and some full-time positions becoming part-time positions, said Greg Avioli, CEO and President of Stronach Entertainment, the track's parent company. The shift to off-track betting and account wagering has brought less revenue to the race track.
Santa Anita Park's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Verge, 44, a horse owner and entrepreneur, has big plans for the race track. He wants to expand its fan base, partly by reaching out to the local Asian community and to locals who grew up attending the track during the sport's heyday. While Santa Anita Park President George Haines is still running day-to-day operations, Verge will focus on bringing in more people, including celebrities, like actor Vince Vaughn.
A drainage problem forced the cancellation of horse racing at Santa Anita Park since three inches of rain fell yesterday. The track has had to cancel racing 12 times since the synthetic track was installed two years ago. In 2006, the California Horse Racing Board banned dirt surfaces from thoroughbred tracks. Santa Anita Park has tried two synthetic tracks but the surfaces have not worked out. Officials announced they will replace the synthetic surface before the Oak Tree Meet in the fall.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments (MID), is requesting the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to allow additional racing days at Santa Anita Park and at his other track Golden Gate Fields. He wants the number of racing days to increase from 85 to 140 days per year, to run races when he thinks he'll get the most customers. In order for MID to maintain its license and run thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields, the CHRB has asked the company to submit a business plan. The plan has been a secret even to some of the company's board members. In the meantime, repairs are being made at Santa Anita Park in preparation for the fall Oak Tree meet (photo).
Santa Anita Park will undergo an inspection arranged by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to evaluate its safety before the Oak Tree Racing Association's upcoming fall meet. Horse owners and trainers are concerned that the track may be unsafe due, in part, to the number of rocks embedded in the racetrack's surface, said Sherwood Chillingworth, executive vice president of Oak Tree.
Santa Anita Park will host the Oak Tree Racing Association's fall meet one last time. Oak Tree's five-week fall meet has been held at Santa Anita Park since 1969. Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Development (owner of Santa Anita Park), said he doesn't want to have a tenant (Oak Tree) in the long run and talked about deregulation of the horse racing industry.
The California Horse Racing Board has approved Santa Anita Park's plan to resurface its main track with dirt. The Pro-Ride synthetic surface will be replaced by the first week of December.
Santa Anita Park owner Frank Stronach met with about a dozen horse trainers to discuss the track's racing surface. Stronach announced that he would not replace the synthetic Pro-Ride track yet, but will stick with it until he gets the ability to run the track with less state regulations. He wants free enterprise, which he may never get. In the meantime, drainage problems and injuries persist on the synthetic track. Stronach said he'd be back in April to discuss the issue more.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied a license to Oak Tree Racing Association to run its fall meet at Santa Anita Park after representatives from the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Trainers said they opposed having Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park due to safety concerns, saying they prefer Hollywood Park. Sherwood Chillingworth, executive vice president of Oak Tree, said he was moving forward to make arrangements to run the fall meet at Hollywood Park, but did not rule out the possibility that the board could change its mind.
Santa Anita Park CEO, Mark Verge, resigns, after some criticism from California Horse Racing Board and a verbal altercation with trainer Bob Baffert's wife. George Haines, General Manager, is expected to run Santa Anita Park.
Santa Anita Park opens the 2010-2011 season with a new $3 million dirt surface on its track. The on-track attendance was 34,268, which was 1,400 less than last year. Trumpeter Jay Cohen calls the horses to the gate (photo).
Santa Anita Park's current Pro-Ride synthetic track surface will be replaced with a dirt track after the Oak Tree meet ends October 31 and before Santa Anita Park's winter-spring season starts December 26, 2010. Frank Stronach said it will cost about $6 million to install.
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments, is scheduled to address the California Horse Racing Board to address a number of issues, including a potential new racetrack surface for Santa Anita Park and the recent cancellation of its lease with the charitable Oak Tree Racing Association. Dennis Mills, MI Development's CEO and vice chairman has said Santa Anita Park might replace its synthetic track soon, which could jeopardize hosting Oak Tree's meet there.