California Horse Racing Troubling Trends: Small Fields, Major Departures

California horse racing was once considered one of the most prestigious circuits in America. With Mullins and Prat news, the situation is turning dire.

The Rise of California Horse Racing

California horse racing started with the legalization of betting in the 1930s. Tracks like Bay Meadows, Fairplex Park, and Santa Anita took advantage of the new laws and quickly built tracks that drew thousands of fans. At Santa Anita they even introduced the first use of photo finish cameras in 1934.

Late in the 30s horse racing went Hollywood as Bing Crosby got heavily involved in the state’s newest track, Del Mar. The momentum would continue through the 40s with the opening of Golden Gate Fields.

Historic Feats in California Horse Racing

Along with the inclusion of a photo finish camera, California racing has been the home to several historic feats.

• The first electric starting gate was used at Bay Meadows.
• Bay Meadows saw the first ever horse travel by plane in 1945.
• Citation became the first horse ever to win $1 million when he won the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup.
• Hollywood Park was the first to offer the Exacta wager in the 1970s
• Hollywood Park hosted the initial Breeders’ Cup in 1984
• In each of the last 4 years a California based horse has crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby.

Problems in California Horse Racing

Despite the rich history of California horse racing there have been some major issues plaguing the circuit in recent years. Some of these issues are specific to the state while others are universal across many of the tracks across the country.

Isolated Market

One of the major issues has less to do with the racing industry and more to do with geography. One of the perks of racing on the east coast or in the midwest is the fact that trainers can find the right conditions at another track in the area and easily van their horses to the proper race.

California horse racing however, is largely isolated geographically. With very few tracks west of the Rocky Mountains, trainers don’t have many options for shipping their horses to other tracks. Those that do are often forced to use expensive airplane transport.

The same applies to trainers who have an interest in shipping in from other jurisdictions. The result is often the cannibalization of California tracks competing for similar horse populations.

Some have pointed out that horses at Golden Gate for example are often too far below those at Santa Anita, but the reality is that there are only so many horses to go around and the result is not good for field size which can frequently be 5 horses before scratches.

Equine Safety Concerns

Unfortunately another major issue plaguing California horse racing in particular was the extreme number of horse fatalities over the course of the 2010s. The high water mark was set in 2011 when 278 horses passed on track while racing or training. 2018-2019 was another troublesome year. Once again the state saw a death toll over 200.

While the tracks have taken dramatic measures to improve equine safety, including enhanced vet scrutiny and a prolonged closure of the downhill turf course at Santa Anita, the circuit has never quite been able to shake the public perception.

Despite massive drop offs in equine fatalities, deaths like the recent passing of Medina Spirit only fuel those who wish to further the narrative that racing does not care about its athletes.

Connections Exodus

Despite the troubles in California, they still had the advantages of big name trainers and jockeys. However, they too have started to look for greener pastures.

Jockeys Head East

The west coast was once home to the most prestigious jockey colonies in America. Jockeys like Bill Shoemaker and Russell Baze called California home. While the colony was strong in the early to mid 2000s there has been a precipitous drop off in the quality of riders.

A major blow was dealt to the already top heavy jockey colony this year when it was announced that both Umberto Rispoli and leading rider Flavien Prat would both be moving their tack to the east coast.

This leaves a gaping hole in the top of the jockey standings which are likely to see filled by Juan Hernandez or an aging John Velazquez.

Trevor McCarthy briefly tried the west coast, but has subsequently moved back east where he is having a solid aqueduct winter meet.

Trainers Leaving

It isn’t just the jockeys that are leaving California horse racing. It was announced last week that Jeff Mullins was taking 40 horses off the Santa Anita grounds and taking them to start a string at Gulfstream Park. Already struggling to fill fields this will leave the west coast in a tough spot as they try to fill already sparsely entered races.

A domino of this move is that there is now even more dependency on the shoulders of mega trainers like Doug O’Neill and Bob Baffert. The duo has been embroiled in high profile drug scandals. However, without them I do not see a legitimate path to the survival of California horse racing.

This co-dependence makes it difficult for the California Horse Racing Board to objectively evaluate disciplinary actions against them. To their credit the CHRB has stated that they will uphold the 90 day suspension handed down in Kentucky for Baffert.

If you believe Baffert’s camp, this will destroy his business and not allow him to continue. This would be yet another devastating blow to a once storied racing circuit on heavy decline.

Changes Coming

Despite the negativity surrounding California horse racing there are signs of hope. During the latest Santa Anita meet the track was able to safely bring back the beloved downhill turf.

Equine fatalities are significantly down in the seasons since the horror of 2018-2019.

In 2021 Del Mar introduced an extremely lucrative ship and win program that help supplement the horse population with new blood and bring field sizes back up.

Unfortunately these horses didn’t hang around in California and when racing shifted back to Santa Anita, many of the fields once again saw significant drop off. It was announced last week that Del Mar would be further enhancing that promotion in 2022 in hopes of building momentum on the 2021 season.