Golden State Racing, a consortium of owners, breeders, trainers, and the California Authority of Racing Fairs, has withdrawn plans to conduct a winter-spring meeting in Pleasanton, Calif., beginning later this month, according to an announcement Monday. Golden State Racing was scheduled to request racing dates from the California Horse Racing Board at its monthly meeting on Thursday but will no longer pursue that plan, officials said. Instead, the state’s Thoroughbred circuit will be consolidated at Santa Anita in Southern California, which will conduct a winter-spring meeting from Dec. 26 to June 15. The next expected Thoroughbred racing in Northern California will be the start of the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton in June, the first of five stops on a northern fair circuit through mid-October. Racing dates for 2025 in Northern California are scheduled to be discussed at Thursday’s racing board meeting. The abandonment of a winter-spring meeting at Pleasanton ends a two-month run for Golden State Racing, which will conclude a 25-day autumn meeting at Pleasanton on Wednesday. The meeting, which began in October, replaced racing dates held in past years at Golden Gate Fields in nearby Albany, Calif. Golden Gate Fields, which like Santa Anita is owned by 1/ST Racing, closed permanently in June. Business at the Golden State Racing meeting was far below expectations and did not match corresponding revenue generated at Golden Gate Fields in the autumn of 2023. The current race meeting was losing money on a weekly basis and had vastly overpaid purses, an official said. The CARF board of directors met Monday and voted not to conduct a winter-spring meeting at Pleasanton. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Under the plan to consolidate winter-spring Thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita, stabling and training will remain open at Pleasanton with financing provided by an existing stabling and vanning fund. Beginning later this month, Santa Anita will offer racing opportunities specifically for Northern California-based stables and will finance the 700-mile roundtrip between Pleasanton and Arcadia, Calif., where Santa Anita is located. Trainers will be offered a travel stipend. In the last year, some Northern California-based owners and trainers have strongly stated a reluctance to race at Santa Anita as part of lingering anger from the closure of Golden Gate Fields. Bill Nader, president of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, which was extensively involved in discussions to consolidate racing at Santa Anita, said his organization is hopeful that there will be widespread support from Northern California participants. “I think in the proposal we’ve tried to be very sensitive to the unique requirements of the North and be as accommodating as we can,” Nader said in an interview Monday. “We’ve done everything we can to bring the state together. We’re trying to be more unified, collaborate, and be more efficient.” Santa Anita officials are hopeful that participation from Northern California stables will strengthen the appeal of racing at a time when purses at tracks throughout the state have been cut in recent years because of a decline in handle. There also could be an interest from Northern California stables in racing at the Los Alamitos evening meeting, which includes sprints at 4 1/2 furlongs for lower-level Thoroughbreds. A Golden State Racing official said earlier this month that there were 785 horses based at Pleasanton. It is not clear how many of those would be competitive at Santa Anita or Los Alamitos and how many may be sent to other circuits, such as Turf Paradise in Phoenix. To accommodate some Northern California-based runners, the bottom claiming level at Santa Anita will be $6,250 this winter, a reduction from $8,000 in the recent past, an official said. Claiming races at Pleasanton this fall ranged in value from $3,200 to $25,000. In a statement issued Monday afternoon, the racing board said it supports the consolidation of Thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita. “The mounting economic challenges felt throughout horse racing and inconsistent handle in Northern California compel the conclusion that, for now, Pleasanton operating as a training facility and Southern California running races for horses stabled there would be in the best interests of both Northern California and Southern California,” according to the statement. The board further stated that ongoing efforts by racing officials in the state to gain alternative sources of revenue for tracks and purses, other than betting handle, could lead to the resumption of year-round Thoroughbred racing in Northern and Southern California. “While this conclusion is undoubtedly disappointing to nearly everyone involved and presents its own challenges, the CHRB views this arrangement as temporary, as well as an opportunity for all stakeholders to work together to pursue purse enhancement that are essential for California racing to remain competitive with the rest of the country,” the racing board’s statement continued. “We are hopeful that should such supplements be realized, California will once again support two thriving Thoroughbred circuits and offer purses equal to or above those in other states.” California racetrack officials have been working behind the scenes to build support to install historical horse racing machines, which have significantly boosted purses in other states such as Arkansas and Kentucky. With the cessation of racing at Pleasanton, some Northern California stables have inquired about relocating a small number of runners to Santa Anita, officials said. Santa Anita officials are hopeful that support will be strong enough to add a fourth day of racing per week on Thursdays. The track has run largely on a three day per week basis since the winter of 2019. The plan to consolidate racing will be discussed at Thursday’s racing board meeting, according to a statement released by Santa Anita. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.