By Matt Dinerman
Some say working in the horse racing industry is a “constant grind.” I suppose it is. But when you love your job as much as I do, it’s easy to change the phrase “constant grind” to “constant fun.”
Days removed from the Golden Gate Fields 2018 winter/spring race meet, I sit in a vacant press box with thoughts rushing through my mind. There are many more thoughts right now than during the 799 races this meet where I picked up the headset and recited the happenings of powerful thoroughbreds and athletic jockeys.
You know… many people have asked me something to the effect of, “Your thoughts must be all over the place when you call a race, huh?”
“Not really,” I’ll answer. “It used to be when I first started calling races. But things have changed. I’ve developed.”
You see, during the live call of a horse race, my brain has taught itself to simplify things. Calling a race is a simple process but a complicated task. Memorize the horses, jockeys, trainers and anything else worth noting in the race, observe what is going on, and tell the public about it accurately. It’s observing a race and thinking out loud.
During the race, I clear my mind of everything other than the task at hand, which is to describe the race as accurately as possible. I forget about the laundry I have to do when I get home. I forget that I have to get gas in my car after the races. I focus on one thing: the race.
Anyway, I’ve got to focus on one thing NOW, which are my thoughts about Golden Gate. Let’s get to it.
First of all, it was wonderful to call a live race meet in my home state of California. We have a beautiful turf course that the horses seem to enjoy running on and the jockey enjoy competing over. Our Tapeta surface continues to hold up well since its installation in 2007.
The view from my booth is second to none: the Berkeley Hills overlooking the track and, behind my booth, I look outside to the glamorous view of water surrounding Downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Michael Wrona says it’s his favorite announcer’s booth in the U.S. I can see why.
We have some solid stock (horses) here and very good horsemen that take great care of their equine stars. The jockey colony is extremely underrated, with many talented, young up-and-comers comprising a large percentage of the colony. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a few of our current riders at bigger tracks down the road. They can ride with anyone if they are given the right opportunities.
Now we talk about the future.
Golden Gate is a track that has needed much change…for a while. However, that change is beginning to happen. It will take a long time and many steps to implement the change we want for this track, but improvement is well underway.
We have an outstanding new General Manager and Vice President, David Duggan, who is a believer in positive, innovative and critical thinking. David is a believer in uniting the frontside and backstretch as one, and working as a team to accomplish goals while holding a strong emphasis on making the racing product great for everyone. David also believes in working with local communities (companies, sports teams, other groups) in the Bay Area to attract new fans to the races. He wants to give both Bay Area natives and tourists a reason to go to the racetrack and have a great experience. On top of all this, he interacts and communicates with members of the entire racing community, from high executives in the Stronach Group to everyone on the backstretch (the backstretch being the backbone of our product). This type of leadership is what is needed for American racing to improve at tracks all around the country.
We recently hired a marketing manager, Ryan Hilton, who is working very hard to create more events and fun for the on-track crowds. This is another area in which it will take time, dedication, and critical thinking to improving the events here so we can lure in more fans. That said, the area where Golden Gate Fields lies is surrounded by all sorts of communities…and money. We have resources and people around us to make things better here.
We have a dedicated team that works very hard and has a strong passion for the sport, especially Northern California racing, considering many employees have been at this track for a long time and come from racing backgrounds. Many of our horsemen are also Bay Area natives who have been in this region for decades.
Not that this is the most important change by any means, but we are also re-doing the winners circle. Bulldozers have annihilated the “old” winner’s circle and crews are working on the new layout for the winner’s circle, as well as areas of the paddock which are guaranteed to be a lot nicer. Plans for other renovation projects have already been discussed as well.
Everyone in the racing business knows of the uncertainty for the summer meet, and the anxiety that may be building for employees, horsemen and fans alike. All that said, I am highly confident we will reach an agreement and ultimately move forward in continuing the quest to improving Northern California racing and making the product as great as possible.
I end this write up with a thank you to everyone who has given me an opportunity leading up to this point. You need to work hard to achieve your goals but you must have help along the way.