By DRF.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 12, 2022) — Since the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, the Cal-Expo State Fair property in Sacramento, Calif., has been used for a variety of purposes – COVID testing, COVID vaccinations, and housing National Guard troops, among many things.
While nighttime harness racing seasons have been held, there was no Thoroughbred racing in the summers of 2020 and 2021.
Beginning Friday, the property resumes its traditional July role, hosting State Fair events on a daily basis through July 31, including a nine-day race meeting on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule.
The resumption of racing at Cal Expo marks a return to a normal calendar for the Northern California fair circuit, which began last month at Pleasanton. Later this summer, fair racing will be held in Santa Rosa and Ferndale and in the fall at Fresno.
In the past two years, the Cal-Expo racing dates were transferred to Pleasanton in 2020 and to Golden Gate Fields and Pleasanton in 2021.
This year, the stable area at Sacramento has a greater population than in past years because of ongoing backstretch maintenance at Golden Gate Fields. Stables that typically spend the summer at Golden Gate Fields relocated to Pleasanton or Sacramento this year.
Rick Pickering, Cal-Expo’s chief executive officer, said last weekend that 500 horses were based at Sacramento, with as many as another 200 horses expected this week. In past years, the stable area housed 150 to 200 horses, he said, with a majority of the runners sent from Golden Gate Fields or local farms in advance of races.
“It’s State Fair time,” Pickering said. “We’re hoping that the public will enjoy racing.”
The larger horse population could result in higher average field sizes in coming weeks, although that is not the case for Friday’s seven-race program, which drew only 40 runners. First post is 1:45 p.m. Pacific.
Cal-Expo averaged a disappointing 5.62 runners per race in 2019, a decline from 6.04 in 2018. The three-week Pleasanton meeting that ended Sunday averaged 6.16 runners per race, a slight increase from an average of 5.77 runners in 2021 during a three-week meeting.
At Cal-Expo, the stakes highlight of the meeting is the $75,000 California Governor’s Cup for fillies and mares at six furlongs on July 23.