Golden Gate Fields

Racing at Golden Gate Fields is scheduled to resume Friday, Jan. 15. "After extensive testing in collaboration with the Berkeley Public Health Division, it has been determined that the COVID-19 concerns on the campus have decreased to levels to allow the resumption of live racing," a statement from 1/ST RACING read. "Golden Gate Fields is indebted to both the Berkeley Public Health Division and the Alameda County Public Health Department for their assistance and advice during the period of temporary closure. As the Golden Gate Fields Racing Office remains closed...

Lasix will now be barred through at least 2021 in the vast majority of stakes races at California's three major commercial tracks--Santa Anita Park, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, and Golden Gate Fields. The Lasix ban was part of a revised race-day medication agreement between the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and the managements of those three tracks. The California Horse Racing Board voted unanimously Dec. 17 to approve the terms of that medication agreement for the upcoming Santa Anita and Golden Gate meets. The Del Mar-specific commission approval will presumably...

For the "safety and well-being" of those living or working on site at Golden Gate Fields, the facility will continue its temporary suspension of live racing until the scheduled start of the impending winter meet on Dec. 26, according to a Golden Gate Fields press release Thursday. Towards the end of last month, racing was suspended at Golden Gate after more than 200 people living or working on-site had tested positive for the virus. The current fall meet was scheduled to end on Dec. 13. In a separate press release...

Golden Gate Fields and the City of Berkeley Public Health issued the following update Friday evening with regards to a COVID-19 outbreak at the track which has shut down racing at least through November: City of Berkeley Public Health continues to work closely with Golden Gate Fields on a significant outbreak where more than 200 people living or working on-site at the racetrack have tested positive for COVID-19. 1/ST RACING, which operates the track, is following all of the City's recommendations for testing, quarantine and isolation. The steps they have...

Live racing at Golden Gate Fields will temporarily be suspended, effective Friday, Nov. 13 through Nov. 20, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was announced. "Since Oct. 30, there have been 24 confirmed cases linked to the Berkeley stable area," a release from Golden Gate read. "All positive cases are overseen by the Berkeley Public Health Division (BPHD) through their case managers, are required to isolate as per BPHD protocols and are not able to return to Golden Gate Fields until health clearance has been provided by BPHD. During...

Golden Gate Fields closed out its six-week summer meet with titles going to jockey Kyle Frey, trainer Jonathan Wong, and owner Irvin Racing Stable. Frey won 47 races from 205 mounts for a 23% win rate with $803,264 in earnings. Wong, who was earning his ninth training title, had 40 winners from 159 starters (25%) and $764,062 in purse earnings. Betty and Diane Irvin, a mother-daughter team who use the nom de course of Irvin Racing Stable, brought home six wins and were in the money with 71% of their...

Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, California, will offer 10 added-money events during its upcoming fall meet to be held Oct. 22 through Dec. 13. A total of $650,000 is up for grabs across the stakes schedule, highlighted by the $100,000 GIII Berkeley H. for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and a sixteenth on the Tapeta track. The stakes schedule features four events restricted to juveniles, beginning with the $75,000 Pike Place Dancer S. Oct. 31. The $50,000 Golden Nugget S. takes place Nov. 14, the $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante...

Golden Gate Fields in Berkley, California, cancelled the Oct. 2 live racing card due to poor air quality stemming from the widespread fires in the state. "Due to unhealthy air quality unsuitable for racing, Golden Gate Fields is cancelling live racing today," according to a Tweet posted by the track. "We will be monitoring this situation on a daily basis."

While racing this week at Santa Anita has been canceled due to the fires that are ravaging the West, its sister track, Golden Gate Fields, will be back in business starting Thursday. Golden Gate Vice President and General Manager David Duggan said the area surrounding the track has undergone a dramatic transformation, with clear blue skies having replaced the orange glow that had surrounded the Bay Area earlier. Golden Gate was forced to cancel its three weekend cards last week and as not raced since Sept. 7. "Last Thursday, you...

For the second day in a row, Golden Gate Fields in Northern California cancelled live racing Saturday due to smoke in the area. Recent wildfires in California and Oregon have been well documented in the news, and the Bay Area, where Golden Gate Fields is located, has been one of the hardest hit locales. Air quality has been deemed unsafe for both horses and humans. After cancelling both Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 due to the conditions, Golden Gate's next day of live racing is scheduled to be Sunday.

Literary references are not rare in horse racing, and 2yo winner Bold Mistress (Vronsky--Common Truth) carries a precious such connection, linked to the GOAT (probably) writer Lev Tolstoy. Unhappily married Anna Karenina is in fact the absolutely bold mistress of Count Vronsky in the Russian novelist's book of the same name. "Many writers consider 'Anna Karenina' the greatest work of literature ever and the author himself called it his first true novel," states Wikipedia--and only a few years before Tolstoy had written "War and Peace," which I personally prefer (reading...

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, barred from The Stronach Group's (TSG) California facilities since June of last year, has fired the latest legal salvo in his ongoing dispute with the company with a first amended complaint against the Los Angeles Turf Club (LATC)--at Santa Anita--filed late last month in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. "We're playing the cards that we are dealt," said Hollendorfer's attorney, Drew Couto, about the reasons behind the latest complaint. "We sought provisional remedies from the outset--we're trying to mitigate his losses by getting...