Harness horse racing has final lap at Sacramento's Cal Expo
SACRAMENTO — Friday night brought the last lap for horse racing at Cal Expo, with dozens of employees, including track announcer Scott Ehrlich, saying goodbye to the one-mile oval.
Harness racing has been a part of Cal Expo for more than 50 years, but last month, the board of directors voted to terminate racing for good.
The decision was opposed by Watch and Wager, the company that operates the races.
"The horsemen, their lives have really been turned upside down," said Christopher Schick, Watch and Wager general manager.
Cal Expo says they canceled racing because there are fewer horses available in Northern California due to other track closures and a declining number of race days.
It also costs Cal Expo about $100,000 a year to maintain the barns, track, and grandstand.
Generations of families have enjoyed races there.
"I came out here when I was 14 with my mom and my family, and it's just been a part of our lives for a lot of us," one person in attendance said.
But the track isn't as popular as it once was. Thousands of fans no longer fill the grandstand, the turf club is closed and many wagering windows were decommissioned years ago.
It's a bittersweet end for horse owner Dave Haness. He ended up in the winner's circle with his six-year-old mare Marked in Faith. But it's likely the last time he'll ever race horses there.
"Don't like accepting it, and I sure wish there was some way that we could get the Cal Expo board to reconsider," Haness said.
Cal Expo management has not made any decision as to what will happen now to the racing facility, which takes up about 25% of the fairgrounds property.
