In the News: ‘Future of Calif. racing at risk as Hollywood Park nears finish line’

That’s a Yahoo! News headline about the impending December 2013 closure of one of America’s most storied racetracks.

Top photo: Wikimedia Commons

According to the story,

In May, track officials announced Hollywood Park, located just south of Los Angeles, will close its doors for good in December to make way for a mixed-use development including retail stores, a movie theater and condos. The decision puts an end to one of the most storied tracks in American horse racing, the place where Seabiscuit won the track’s inaugural Gold Cup 75 years ago and where bets like the “exacta” and “Pick Six” that have become mainstays of racing today were first introduced.

In its heyday, the track was a destination for socialites and Hollywood stars. It was founded in 1938 by studio head Jack Warner, and early investors included Walt Disney, singer Al Jolson, actor Bing Crosby and producer Samuel Goldwyn.

Hollywood Park’s shine has faded in recent years. Attendance and wagering receipts have plummeted as tracks struggle to hold their own against casinos and the lottery. The story notes that bids to allow slot machines to be installed inside racing facilities–an addition that track owners argue would help stabilize the industry–were repeatedly shot down.

This video is from 2008, when the direness of Hollywood Park’s future was fast becoming apparent.

This YouTube video, filmed in May 2013, offers a haunting portrait of what the track has since become. Back in the day, the grandstand held up to 70,000 cheering racegoers; here, the grandstand is so empty you can actually hear the sound of the jockeys’ sticks as they gallop down the homestretch.

The track’s final racing date is Dec. 22, after which it will be demolished.

Santa Anita will pick up 11 weeks of additional racing each year for the next two years to make up dates forfeited by Hollywood Park. But for many, Hollywood Park’s closure raises bigger questions about the future of horse racing in California.

“What happened at Hollywood Park doesn’t make our circumstances any easier, but we are just going to have to work through it,” said Joe Morris, president of the California Thoroughbred Association, told Yahoo! News. “This was a private company’s decision, and we just have to continue to focus on building up and supporting what we do have. We have strong horses, great farms. I think we’re in good shape, but there’s always concern about the future.”

Read the full story here.