The Los Angeles County fairgrounds has been the site of horse racing since September 1933, but its last remaining event–an 11-day Thoroughbred race–would move to Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress under a deal reached Monday.
It's all contingent upon approval by the California Horse Racing Board, which could discuss the issue as early as May 22 at Santa Anita, as well as the Legislature because Fairplex Park is a state agricultural district asset.
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But if approved, Los Al could run the 11-day meeting by this September, reports the Daily Racing Form.
“With the limitations of our facility, we made a strategic decision for the continued growth of the industry to reach out to Los Alamitos and seek to move our dates to their facility,” reads a statement from LA County Fair chief executive Jim Henwood.
The Orange County track was already expanded from five-eighths of a mile to a mile in circumference earlier this year to accommodate Thoroughbred meetings in July and December. Actually, the December dates were acquired by Los Alamitos with the closure of Hollywood Park in Inglewood.
New stables for Thoroughbreds are now being constructed at Los Al, Daily Racing Form reports.
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