Stronach Group surprises by saying it may extend racing at Northern California’s Golden Gate Fields

Thursday, August 17, 2023 8:33 PM
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  • John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times

The Stronach Group said “there is a possibility” that it will keep Golden Gate Fields open another six months past its planned closing date in mid-December.

“We will do everything we can to keep it open for a short period,” Aidan Butler, chief executive of racing, told a California Horse Racing Board subcommittee Wednesday at a Del Mar hotel.

That would be a small concession to the horsemen and stakeholders who have vehemently objected to the Bay Area track’s announced closure after more than eight decades, a decision that was shrouded in secrecy until it was made public last month.