Tag: Golden Gate Fields

Golden Gate Fields is closing for good podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Race track shutting down June 9th

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A look at Golden Gate Fields which opened in 1941 and will close Jun 9, 2024 an East Bay race track and part of the sport’s tradition for decades (file photo San Francisco Chronicle)

On the Golden Gate Fields is closing for good podcast with Augie:

#1 Time has come to it’s end for Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley as the horse track will see it’s last race on June 9th. Attendance has been sparse averaging 2,000 a race at a track that seats over 20,000. What would you say is one of the big reasons for the track’s closing?

#2 The fans who showed up at the track some continued wearing Derby attire where women dressed in summer gowns and fancy hats and the men with their straw hats. That tradition amongst racing fans will be a thing of the past after the 9th of June.

#3 Golden Gate Fields is a part of a long gone history built in 1941 and built at a time when baseball and horse racing were the top sports in America.

#4 The saddest part of the closing of Golden Gate Fields is the employees who will lose their jobs, 500 track workers, jockeys, hotwalkers, exercise riders, grooms, stall muckers, valets, trainer, clerks, security, concession and engineers now all looking for work elsewhere. Some of the track workers might get work someplace like Santa Anita.

#5 Golden Fields was a East Bay institution and now it will be part of history just like the Oakland A’s will be when they leave the East Bay after this season.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for 1080 KWAI News Radio Honolulu

Golden Gate Fields podcast with Augie Mesenburg: After extension is this it for Golden Gate Field race track

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Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze, right, riding Two Step Cat crosses the finish line to win his 10,000th race at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., Jan. 1, 2008. Golden Gate Fields announced that it has extended horse racing and instead of closing in October 2023 will close July 2024. (AP file photo)

Horse Racing podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie, how encouraging has it got to be for horse racing fans, employees, and front office staff that Golden Gate Fields in Albany/Berkeley has extended it time instead of closing up shop in October extending it to June?

#2 Augie, I know I asked you off the air but is there anyway you see that Golden Gate Fields can avoid closing it’s doors permanently or is 1st Racing set on closing the long time track down.

#3 Aidan Butler the Chief Executive of Golden Fields said the track will be applying for race track dates for the summer of 2024.

#4 Butler and First Racing said it’s certain that July will be the last month of horse racing at Golden Gate Fields if there is no miracle to save the track.

#5 Augie, you had the chance to work with everyone at the track over the years the jockeys, trainers, owners, fans, front office people and from their perspective how surprising did this news come and how dependent are the employees on working at Golden Gate Fields?

Augie Mesenburg was a former employee at Golden Gate Fields and is a business representative for the Golden Gate union employees

Headline Sports podcast with Auggie Mussenburg: MLB owners A’s relocation vote delay; Golden Fields memories; plus more

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Golden Gate Fields is about to close permanently it opened in 1941 and is closing to merge their business model in the Southland leaving the Bay Area with no race tracks (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Auggie:

#1 MLB owners have not taken a vote on relocating the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas do you think there is haggling going on behind the scenes and the owners don’t like the idea of moving a team in the fifth largest market to what would be the smallest market in MLB.

#2 If a move is made how much will MLB owner be concerned about losing the gate in the smallest MLB Park and smallest media MLB market.

#3 Golden Gate Fields Race Track will close permanently after the ’23 Meet in December 2023. The historic track is the last of what were two race tracks the other being Bay Meadows. The Stronach Group will double business at the Santa Anita Race Track and train at San Luis Rey Downs and at San Luis Rey Downs in the Southland.

#4 The Boston Red Sox shutout the A’s in a laugher Monday night. The Sox Connor Wong drove in three runs and pitcher Nick Pivetta matched a career high striking out 13 batters in the Sox 7-0 shoutout of the A’s at the Coliseum.

#5 Frustrations for the A’s Ryan Noda who was called out on strikes drew a line by the plate and was ejected by plate umpire Emil Jimenez. A’s manager Mark Kotsay came out to discuss and he and Noda went back towards the dugout.

Auggie is reporter KWAI 1080 Honolulu and podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice