By Bloodhorse.com
ALBANY, Calif. (Mar. 31, 2016) — Golden Gate Fields will offer increased purses, free shipping to and from Santa Anita Park, and guaranteed late Pick 4 pools during its inaugural three-week Turf Festival.
Golden Gate will be the only track in California with turf racing from April 14 through May 1, as Santa Anita installs a new grass course. During that time an extra $125,000 will allocated to turf races.
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Free shipping from Santa Anita to Golden Gate will be provided during the Turf Festival. Bob Hubbard Horse Transportation will have two vans going north and two vans going south every week during the event.
“The Golden Gate Fields Turf Festival will benefit horsemen throughout California by bolstering purses in the North and giving Southern California horsemen a place to run their grass horses,” said Joe Morris, senior vice president of West Coast operations for The Stronach Group, which owns both Santa Anita and Golden Gate. “It’s our goal to offer competitive turf racing with big fields, which should be attractive to horseplayers. We hope to generate a strong response from Northern California and Southern California horsemen throughout the Turf Festival.”
There will be three grass stakes during the Turf Festival. The $100,000 San Francisco Mile (gr. IIIT) for 3-year-olds and up will be conducted April 30. The final day of the Turf Festival will feature a pair of one-mile stakes for 3-year-old California-breds nominated to the Golden State Series—the $100,000 Campanile for fillies and the $100,000 Silky Sullivan.
In addition, Golden Gate will offer two maiden special weights and two allowance races for California-breds on the final weekend of the turf festival. The maiden special weights will be worth $35,000 and will be conducted April 30. The allowance races will be worth $41,000 and will be held May 1. The owners of the maiden special weight winners will receive a $10,000 bonus.
On weekends Golden Gate will guarantee the late Pick 4 pool at $75,000 during the Turf Festival. The guarantee will be increased to $100,000 on San Francisco Mile Day.