Bodog Beat

After today’s races, which are the last day for its spring schedule, it looks like Bay Meadows will finally close. (Courtesy of Erik Muniz at Flickr.com)

The tack has faced 15 years of uncertainty, and Bay Meadows Land Company (which owns the track) has an 83.5 acre redevelopment plan. The track officials have told the California Racing Board that they will not apply for racing dates in 2009. It looks like this is the end of the track after the 10 days of racing in August at the San Mateo County Fair.

"The reality is setting in that this is the last major weekend of racing," said Charlie Dougherty, who heads the California Thoroughbred Trainers organization in Northern California. "Short of any kind of miracle, anyway."

Friday, May 9 saw an attendance of 14,366 to say goodbye to the final Friday night race at the track. The crowds have been better in the final week then it has been in a while, as many old fans returned because they knew it was their final time to see racing at the track.

"It's really kind of exciting," said general manager Bernie Thurman, who has worked at the track since 1976. "The place has been buzzing. But it's sad, too."

"I've seen people I haven't seen in years," said Dougherty, a lifelong resident of San Mateo who began coming to the track as a child with his father, Charles Sr., a longtime Northern California racing steward and horse owner. "They all say pretty much the same thing. Over the years, they stopped coming out and they forgot just what a great time it is. I want to tell them that they were part of the problem."

Attendance has dropped over the recent years; this has produced a loss of revenues to the City of San Mateo (where the track is located). They have supported the redevelopment plans for a while now. The project will include 750,000 square feet of office space, 93,000 square feet of commercial retail and restaurant space and 1,066 residential units. The city has approved the plan on April 21^st, as this will put a lot more revenue in their coffers than the track has over the years.

The developers have applied for permits to demolish the Grandstands and surrounding buildings in October, in the mean time horseman at the track have been told that they can continue using the facilities until September.

“It’s like an old friend who’s dying,” said state racing commissioner John Harris, who served as the track’s chairman for several years under a previous stewardship. “You hope you can spend more time with them before they’re gone.”

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