This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Fall Racing Returning to Arcadia

Racing board approves dates for a new meet at Santa Anita. Oak Tree group hopes to remain involved in some capacity.

Fall horse racing, after a one-year stopover at Hollywood Park, is returning to Arcadia. But it will no longer be called the Oak Tree meet.

The race dates previously held by the Oak Tree Racing Association since 1969 were awarded to by the California Horse Racing Board today at its regularly scheduled meeting at Santa Anita.

The CHRB unanimously approved racing to be held at Santa Anita from Sept. 28-Nov. 6.

Scott Daruty, representing Sana Anita, said a compensation package was offered to Oak Tree, pending the CHRB awarding those race dates to the Arcadia facility.

Sherwood “Chilly” Chillingworth, the head of the Oak Tree group, said the offer was presented a few days ago. He declined to say what the monetary figure was, adding negotiations lay ahead. Chillingworth said his group will maintain an office at Santa Anita until at least June 2012 and be involved with the new meet in various capacities.

As it stands now, the fall meet meet will operate under the name Pacific Racing Association.

What Oak Tree still holds is the rights to a number of of major stakes, including Breeders’ Cup prep races. Daruty said Santa Anita is hopeful of continuing to run those races.

Prior to today’s CHRB vote, Chairman Keith Brackpool emphasized that it pertained only to this year and nothing beyond that.

The 2010 Oak Tree meet was held at Hollywood Park because of safety concerns regarding the synthetic track at Santa Anita were expressed by both the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Trainers at a CHTB meeting in August.

Guy Lamothe, representing the TOC, and Alan Balch, representing the CTT, both expressed that their groups favored a move back to Santa Anita, which has since replaced its synthetic track with a traditional dirt surface.

Before the CHRB vote, longtime and respected owner Mace Siegel made a passioned plea to the CHRB board that the Oak Tree meet “be returned to its home,” adding “it’s the obvious thing to do.” Siegel also pleaded that “Oak Tree be kept alive for all the good it has done for the industry.” Siegel’s speech was greeted with applause.

Also, Brackpool was among those who expressed appreciation for Hollywood Park stepping in and hosting last year’s Oak Tree meet.

At today’s meeting, the CHRB also approved race dates for the Los Angeles County Fair meet at Fairplex Park (Sept. 8-26) and the fall-winter meet at Hollywood Park (Nov. 9-Dec. 18).

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Arcadia