Santa Anita Park and Oak Tree Racing Association are vying for the same fall racing dates in 2011. The California Horse Racing Board will meet today to discuss awarding the September 28, 2011 through November 6, 2011 dates.
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.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) delayed a decision on conflicting requests for 2011 racing dates from Santa Anita Park and Oak Tree Racing Association. The CHRB urged Santa Anita Park, Hollywood Park and Oak Tree to get together to come up with a plan that works for the good of the industry.
The Oak Tree Racing Association plans to move its annual fall meet to Del Mar in 2011. Oak Tree has raced at Santa Anita Park since 1969, but will be run this fall at Hollywood Park, before moving to Del Mar. Santa Anita Park ended Oak Tree's lease.
If Oak Tree is not held at Santa Anita Park this fall, as it has for the last 41 years, it would be a significant hit to the city of Arcadia and the region, city officials said. Last year, the city of Arcadia made $185,000 from the Oak Tree meet's betting handle. In addition, the city would suffer the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in sales tax and hotel bed tax revenue. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) denied Oak Tree Racing Association's request to run its five-week fall meet at Santa Anita Park after horse owners, trainers, and a racetrack expert expressed concerns about the synthetic surface. Oak Tree officials say they are moving forward to make arrangements to run the meet at Hollywood Park.
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.
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.
The California Horse Racing Board authorized Oak Tree Racing Association to have its traditional fall meet at another thoroughbred venue in Southern California since the association's use of Santa Anita Park is still uncertain. MI Developments, which is chaired by Frank Stronach, recently voided Oak Tree's contract after acquiring the race track from Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC) through federal bankruptcy proceedings. Oak Tree's director Sherwood Chillingworth said, "If we can't make a deal with Santa Anita...we can take our dates and run them in Hollywood or Del Mar."
The Breeders' Cup announced that its internationally recognized thoroughbred horse racing event will be hosted by the Churchill Downs race track in Louisville, KY in 2011 for the second consecutive year. Breeders' Cup spokesman Jim Gluckson said, "It became a difficult situation to select Santa Anita Park for 2011 with the problems that occurred with the cancellation of Oak Tree lease."
Santa Anita Park's owner MI Developments canceled a meeting with the Oak Tree Racing Association last week and said they could not meet the association's June 4 deadline to agree on terms for a new lease. Sherwood Chillingworth of Oak Tree Racing Association would prefer to stay at Santa Anita Park but has to consider Hollywood Park and Del Mar.
Live racing returns to Santa Anita Park for its Autumn Meet, which runs September 30-November 6, 2011. This fall features racing on Thursdays through Sundays.
Oak Tree Racing leaves Santa Anita Park after 41 years and races at Hollywood Park for its 42nd season, starting today. It is a 22-day season that consists of four 4-day race weeks. Oak Tree's lease at Santa Anita Park was voided by MI Developments.
The 6th annual fall racing meeting closed November 3 and the directors of the Oak Tree Racing Association held a celebration. Vice President and General Manager Ray Rogers is pictured.
The Oak Tree Racing Association lost its lease to operate its fall horse racing meet at Santa Anita Park. Oak Tree has operated a fall meet at the track since 1969. Due to bankruptcy restructuring, Frank Stronach's company MI Developments took control of Santa Anita Park from Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC). MI Developments wants to negotiate a new lease agreement with Oak Tree for fall racing.
Santa Anita Park: weather could impact track. Santa Anita Park agrees to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) demand to cancel horse racing in case of inclement weather during the winter-spring meet that begins December 26. Jockey Joel Rosario is mentioned in this article.Gregory Ferraro, new chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, a former race track veterinarian who was appointed to the board by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this year, pledged the state board would be pursuing stricter regulations than it has in the past.
The Oak Tree Racing Association has allocated $365,000 to the University of California, Davis, Veterinary School for the study of the heart and lungs of the thoroughbred.
note: For Pressbooks/Media Guide, see Arcadia History Box 46. 1. Oak Tree Meeting. Los Angeles Times March 17, 1969. 2. No horsing around at parimutuel window. Arcadia Tribune December 8, 1977. 3. Oak Tree - Santa Anita. Promotional brochure for October 8 - November 7, 1976. 4. $350,000 N…
note: For Pressbooks/Media Guide, see Arcadia History Box 46.
1. Oak Tree Meeting. Los Angeles Times March 17, 1969.
2. No horsing around at parimutuel window. Arcadia Tribune December 8, 1977.
3. Oak Tree - Santa Anita. Promotional brochure for October 8 - November 7, 1976.
4. $350,000 National Thoroughbred Championship. Brochure outlining conditions of race and offering histories of those horses invited. November 1, 1975.
5. Oak Tree's 1981 Season to be longest, richest ever. Arcadia Tribune special supplement September 27, 1981.
6. Oak Tree Racing Association. Brown-covered pictorial brochure with background of each Board Member. 1981.
7. The Breeders Cup, October 19-30, 1986. Published as a special supplement to the Star News and Foothill Inter-City newspapers.
8. 20th Anniversary Breeders' Cup event ticket holder. Oak Tree at Santa Anita, October 25, 2003.