Stronach Group

California lawmakers Thursday passed legislation that means if Golden Gate Fields is not licensed to operate beyond July 1 next year, proceeds from simulcast wagering in the north are funneled south when there is no live racing in the northern half of the state after that date. The rule of thumb is that proceeds from wagers made in the "northern zone" stay in Northern California to pay for purses and operational expenses, while the proceeds from wagers made in the "southern zone" stay in Southern California for the same purposes....

Tom Clark is the owner and manager of Rancho San Miguel, where more than 400 horses currently roam a sprawling 250-acres in California's San Luis Obispo County. He owns and manages the farm with his wife, Nancy. They have run it since 2000. The farm is a lynchpin of the state's breeding industry, housing as it does such workhorses of the California breeding shed as Sir Prancealot (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) and Mo Forza (Uncle Mo). But Clark harbors a grim prediction for the future of the...

1/ST Racing & Gaming is ready to shake up the Triple Crown. The company, which operates Pimlico Race Course, has confirmed to the TDN that it is giving strong consideration to moving the date of the GI Preakness S. so that it is run four weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby. "We have discussed it internally and believe it's in the best interests of horses and horse safety to move the race four weeks after the Kentucky Derby," said Aidan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of 1/ST Racing & Gaming. "This...

Two weeks after an initial company announcement on the closure of Golden Gate Fields at the end of the year, The Stronach Group (TSG) issued details Friday on their plans for consolidating racing operations at its Southern California racing and training facilities, Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Downs. The plan--shared via Zoom during a press briefing lasting about 30 minutes--appeared large on big-ticket promises though short on specifics in other key areas, including the broader industry impacts from the closure of Golden Gate Fields. The following details were divulged...

California Senator Dianne Feinstein issued a letter Wednesday to The Stronach Group (TSG), which owns Golden Gate Fields, requesting answers to the reasons behind the planned closure of the track at the end of the year, and the impacts from the company's decision on other industry sectors. Since TSG announced on July 15 with a short statement light on detail the closure of Golden Gate Fields--a momentous decision that figures to upend a way of life for many in California--the company has remained publicly mum when pressed about the decision....

Over a week has passed since The Stronach Group (TSG) announced with a short statement light on detail the closure of Golden Gate Fields at the end of the year--a momentous decision that figures to upend a way of life for so many in California. Since then, the company has remained publicly mum on the reasons behind the closure, and its vision for the future. Every day since the announcement, the TDN has submitted a series of questions, to which TSG has responded only once. "For now, the [Sunday] statement...

In order to focus on its racing and training venues at Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs, The Stronach Group will close Golden Gate Fields at the end of its 2023 racing meet, the organization said in a release late on Sunday. With the goal of increasing field sizes and adding another day of racing to the weekly racing calendar at Santa Anita Park, come Jan. 2024, officials hope this consolidation will serve to further elevate the overall customer experience at Santa Anita Park. "The Stronach Group remains...

A proposed Berkeley City Council ordinance has been introduced that, if passed into law, would put Golden Gate Fields' future in serious jeopardy. The proposed ordinance makes it illegal to keep a horse stabled for more than 10 hours a day and requires that every horse has access to a minimum of one-half acre pasture turnout. While reaffirming state and federal laws surrounding animal abuse and cruelty, the proposed ordinance also makes it a crime to conduct training and racing under a "reasonable expectation" that it could substantially injure or...

Pimlico, the home of a Triple Crown race, is rundown and needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Its sister track, Laurel isn't in much better shape. To have two tracks in such condition does not make for a sustainable model for the future of Maryland racing, a problem that track owners and politicians have been trying solve for more than a decade. But the latest round of give-and-take appears to have yielded a solution. Money once earmarked for a rebuild of both Pimlico and Laurel is expected to be...

Laurel Park will be open for training on Thursday and Friday, with the intent to run this Saturday, Apr. 29, Alan Foreman, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA), said by phone Wednesday afternoon. Last Saturday's cancelled Apr. 22 card of 98 entries included a pair of $100,000 races in the Native Dancer S. and the Primonetta S., scheduled for the main track. This time around, the racing office has taken 116 entries over 11 races with the same slate of five stakes. The decision...

The impasse between Maryland horsemen and the Stronach Group regarding the condition of the main track at Laurel could be nearing a resolution as the two sides are close to an agreement to let John Passero examine the racetrack. Passero is the former track superintendent at Laurel and Pimlico and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) has been insistent on letting him examine the track and have the final say regarding whether or not it was safe and, if not, what fixes were in order. The Stronach Group had brought...

Aidan Butler, CEO of the Stronach Group and 1/ST Racing and Gaming, joined this week's TDN Writers' Room ahead of Pegasus World Cup weekend at Gulfstream Park.