Bay Meadows auction everything going

westcoastinvader · #1 08-12-2008, 11:21 PM

Wow, viewing those photos made me feel unexpectedly melancholy (baby...

..)

My wife grew up less than 5 miles from Bay Meadows, but had never been until she married me...and then went for the first time (since I've been called a corrupting degenerate gambler......

..) and developed a wonderful appreciation of the place.

Bay Meadows wasn't even a blip on my radar screen until I moved to California 8 years ago.

I was a Cleveland guy who cut my teeth (literally....pacifier years with my Mom and Dad) at tracks that began disappearing in the 1960's. I thought I was something when I finally graduated to the ranks of Hialeah, Gulfstream (of the 70's), Churchill Downs, Belmont, Saratoga and Del Mar.....and more tracks around the country than I can name without at least a moment's thought.

But anyhow, Bay Meadows surprisingly grew on me in my 8 years here.

It fit like a favorite pair of old jeans, always felt warm in the paddock no matter how damp and cool the Bay Area fog, and consistently reminded that it came before 9 of our 11 revered Triple Crown Winners.

And it was with us before Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and the Wizard of Oz.

I may try to head over on Saturday. I believe I'd like my own three dimensional remembrance. I'm not picky.

I won't think of the day as a funeral.

Thank goodness I'm Irish, cuz I know all about wakes.

DerbyCat · #2 08-13-2008, 10:28 AM

I just got back from a week long vacation but I'll be doing half days at work all week so I can be there for the final week of Bay Meadows. I am going to enjoy this week and try not to be sad about it... this place has been my second home for the past several years and I'm going to miss it.

And yes, I will be bidding on some items from the track, not sure what I want yet but I'll get something.

bigjag0716 · #3 08-16-2008, 03:53 AM

Farewell Bay Meadows. I will admit though, the last few years of racing have not been great. I still will miss the track, though. Never will forget growing up around Bay Meadows. I will miss walking downstairs from the clubhouse to the indoor paddock. I will miss walking to the infield, I will miss the old-fashion feel of the place. I'm not too happy if they make year round racing at GGF, but I guess there is no choice. Santa Rosa will get some dates, I suppose? If so, that's not very exciting.

Man, I wish Dixon Downs had went through. I would feel alot better about Bay Meadows closing.

westcoastinvader · #4 08-16-2008, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigjag0716

Farewell Bay Meadows. I will admit though, the last few years of racing have not been great. I still will miss the track, though. Never will forget growing up around Bay Meadows. I will miss walking downstairs from the clubhouse to the indoor paddock. I will miss walking to the infield, I will miss the old-fashion feel of the place. I'm not too happy if they make year round racing at GGF, but I guess there is no choice. Santa Rosa will get some dates, I suppose? If so, that's not very exciting.

Man, I wish Dixon Downs had went through. I would feel alot better about Bay Meadows closing.

Hi BigJag.

I've never been to the Santa Rosa meet, but I've recently talked to some old and real horse players who shared with me some nice stories about the place's history.

Apparently back 30 years ago and more it was almost like a "Saratoga" for the San Francisco urban area. Much like Saratoga is for NYC.

San Francisco bookmakers, families and kids, and general horse players would make the trek up to Santa Rosa as an annual tradition for days at a time each summer.

I had never heard that aspect of it's local history. I just knew that with the turf course it was considered to be ranked with Pleasanton as the best of the fair circuit tracks.

westcoastinvader · #5 08-16-2008, 10:39 AM

And as to Pleasanton getting days, I have the minority opinion that the ambience of the Pleasanton track could really catch on in Saratoga like fashion.

Now for credibility perspective, I've probably personally attended racing at off the top of my head 30 to 40 venues....maybe more.

Other than Saratoga, Pleasanton is the only venue I know that affords the opportunity to walk a few short residential blocks from a unique and quaint downtown to attend the days's races. It's a heckuva lot easier to navigate Pleasanton's track, restaurants and clubs than it is at Del Mar....that's for sure. No shortage of supply and diversity of hotels and motels....and much easier than what I've encountered at Saratoga. Also, very quietly there are three morning commuter trains that stop immediately adjacent to the track coming from the east, and three more evening trains coming from the south west.

And Pleasanton also has the element of inherent history. It's the oldest mile track in North America, dating to 1859. It's got the obligatory Seabiscuit training connection.

As to scenery, I've always said that the view of the area from that grandstand is quietly one of the very best in thoroughbred racing. My entire life I heard that Santa Anita was beautiful due to the proximity of the mountains. What no one told me though, was that it's a rare day the LA area air quality will allow the mountains to be seen from the track.

From the Pleasanton grandstand there's a beautiful full view of 3,800 foot Mount Diablo in addition to a continuous view to the west of part of the coastal range and Pleasanton Ridge.

Anyhow, I just think Pleasanton has more potential to be successful...and a nice experience.... than many.

DerbyCat · #6 08-17-2008, 08:34 AM

WestCoast - If you make it to Bay Meadows today, stop by my box on the clubhouse side, I'm in box 103 on the finish line... I'll be wearing my DT hat.

It's going to be crazy today at the track, the place will be packed with thousands of folks. I've been hearing people around the track this week, folks that have only been to the track once or twice, saying, "this is great! Why are they tearing it down?' My question is, why didn't you come to the track before you heard they were tearing it down?

Have a great day everyone, I'll be in Paradise... for the last time

TheSpyder · #7 08-17-2008, 08:45 AM

Have a great day DC. May be sad, but these are days to enjoy! Take some good pictures for the memories.

Spyder

westcoastinvader · #8 08-17-2008, 12:12 PM

Here's the DRF comment today on the final horse in the final race at Bay Meadows:

You Lift Me Up

Two words are synonymous with Bay Meadows moreso than all others and it's only right that the last horse in a BM post parade will have been saddled by Jerry Hollendorfer; his right hand guy Baze opted to ride in the Longacres Mile today but he's here in spirit; outside runner hasn't missed on the board all year and seems a steady sort; post, style and turf familiarity in her favor, but we don't know that she'll have enough punch at crunch time; so long to a beloved race course filled with great memories, this corner's most cherished of which came in 1990 with announcer Danny Alameda's call " Hansen got a big run from Variety Road, gonna get up!"

-George Cottrell

Pedigree Ann · #9 08-20-2008, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by westcoastinvader

And as to Pleasanton getting days, I have the minority opinion that the ambience of the Pleasanton track could really catch on in Saratoga like fashion.

Now for credibility perspective, I've probably personally attended racing at off the top of my head 30 to 40 venues....maybe more.

Other than Saratoga, Pleasanton is the only venue I know that affords the opportunity to walk a few short residential blocks from a unique and quaint downtown to attend the days's races. It's a heckuva lot easier to navigate Pleasanton's track, restaurants and clubs than it is at Del Mar....that's for sure. No shortage of supply and diversity of hotels and motels....and much easier than what I've encountered at Saratoga. Also, very quietly there are three morning commuter trains that stop immediately adjacent to the track coming from the east, and three more evening trains coming from the south west.

And Pleasanton also has the element of inherent history. It's the oldest mile track in North America, dating to 1859. It's got the obligatory Seabiscuit training connection.

As to scenery, I've always said that the view of the area from that grandstand is quietly one of the very best in thoroughbred racing. My entire life I heard that Santa Anita was beautiful due to the proximity of the mountains. What no one told me though, was that it's a rare day the LA area air quality will allow the mountains to be seen from the track.

From the Pleasanton grandstand there's a beautiful full view of 3,800 foot Mount Diablo in addition to a continuous view to the west of part of the coastal range and Pleasanton Ridge.

Anyhow, I just think Pleasanton has more potential to be successful...and a nice experience.... than many.

You forgot the fact that it gets to be 105 Fahrenheit in the shade in the summertime. ("Yes, but it's DRY heat."

)

westcoastinvader · #10 08-20-2008, 10:21 PM

Pedigree Ann

LOL!

But seriously, if Pleasanton really gets the touted possible 50 dates per season, it won't be hot for all of them.

I think we all know that Mark Twain is purported to have said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Many times that San Francisco fog either lingers over the east, or moves to the east.

The Pleasanton Fair just happens to happen in the most likely hot days of the year. November to May, the heat would never be an issue. And on about 1/2 the days in between, it wouldn't be either.

That said, I'll admit I've had to shield myself from the sun more than once at the Pleasanton Fair. I still have a white cowboy hat I purchased at the fair on a race day to prove it....

:-)