No owner had more horses reach the winner’s circle at Golden Gate Fields earlier this year than Johnny Taboada. Taboada, a Northern California-based mortgage broker, won 24 races during the marathon meeting from late December to early June. Currently, Taboada has horses racing in Minnesota and California. He is an active breeder in California, and is a board member for the Thoroughbred Owners of California. With a sizable investment in California racing, Taboada has a sizable interest in the direction the sport will take in Northern California in coming months following the announcement last weekend that Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., is scheduled to close in December. The Stronach Group, the parent company of Golden Gate Fields, said it intends to consolidate racing at Santa Anita, the famous Southern California venue the company owns, with the expectation Northern California-based owners and trainers will move runners to the south. From Taboada’s perspective, the migration is a non-starter. “At the end of the day, I don’t think the inventory of horses at Golden Gate will help at Santa Anita,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “There is a low inventory that will help. “The feedback I get is not positive. No one wants to leave. They won’t go.” Instead, Taboada is hopeful that a revamped racing circuit in Northern California can be developed. The California Authority of Racing Fairs has introduced a proposed schedule that will have racing based at Cal-Expo in Sacramento for most of the year under the direction of a new racing association. County fair meetings will continue at Pleasanton, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and Ferndale in the summers and at Fresno in the fall. Under the initial proposal, the number of racing weeks per year in Northern California would decrease from the current level of 50 to approximately 42. The new schedule is the subject of ongoing discussions among racing officials. While widespread uncertainties remain, Taboada said Northern California has a chance to grow the sport without the involvement of The Stronach Group. “Finally, Northern California will be able to do things on their own and not be constrained by a large corporation,” he said. Taboada, a native of Peru, was highly critical of The Stronach Group in other matters, particularly the lack of promotion and marketing for Golden Gate Fields in recent years compared to the parent’s company flagship track in Florida, Gulfstream Park. :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies, and more. “They’re not focused in California as much as other tracks, such as Gulfstream Park,” he said. “Obviously, this got us by surprise, even though we know racing is struggling in general in California. People didn’t expect it.” Earlier this week, two executives with The Stronach Group declined to discuss details of the looming closure of Golden Gate Fields aside from the company’s announcement last Sunday. The announcement that racing will cease at Golden Gate in December will force a flurry of activity to ensure the continuity of racing in early 2024. As a member of the TOC board of directors, Taboada will part of myriad discussions related to the future of racing in Northern California. He sees himself as a de facto sounding board with trainers and other backstretch personnel on morning visits to the stables. “I don’t hear one positive feedback [about] this from the north,” he said. “If we bounce back from this, I’m 100 percent sure the long-term results will be greater. There is so much potential in Northern California.” Taboada is an active owner. From June 1 through Wednesday, he had 42 starters at Canterbury Park, Golden Gate Fields, the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, and Santa Anita, winning six races. From Friday through next Wednesday, he has eight horses entered at Canterbury, Del Mar, and at the Cal-Expo State Fair in Sacramento. Racing in Southern California has limited appeal for his operation, he said. Many of his runners do not fit the tougher level of competition. “There are better purses down south,” he said. “For the owner, there are higher fees. The competition is not what we are accustomed to competing with. “The little jewels I have will be claimed by the big fish.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.