Golden Gate Fields Sale Ends Horse Racing Era in Northern California

The Trust for Public Land's $175 million deal to acquire Golden Gate Fields from the Stronach Group closed the final chapter on horse racing in Northern California, converting a 161-acre stretch of prime San Francisco Bay shoreline into what will become a public park. The San Francisco-based nonprofit announced the option agreement on March 31, 2026, and plans to transfer the property to the East Bay Regional Park District for long-term ownership, with the deal expected to close early next year.

The Stronach Group, the Canadian horse racing company that has owned the property since 1999, will sell the site that hosted its final horse race on June 9, 2024, ending an 83-year run. Located across the bay from the Golden Gate Bridge in Albany and Berkeley, the track opened in 1941.

The final card at Golden Gate Fields drew 5,936 people to say farewell, with $3,057,912 wagered on eight races by on-track patrons and simulcast players. Adelie, a 5-year-old Irish-bred mare carrying 5-1 odds, rallied from worst to first to win the final race ever run at the track, owned by Abbondanza Racing LLC and Omar Aldabbagh, trained by Phil D'Amato. She was ridden by Assael Espinoza, the meet's leading rider, and paid $13 to win.

The $175 million deal, first reported by the San Jose Mercury News, is scheduled to close early next year. Golden Gate Fields sits right on the Bay, straddling the cities of Berkeley and Albany. The Trust for Public Land intends to transform the 161-acre property into a public park with community-serving recreational amenities along the San Francisco Bay. Part of the deal reportedly includes the removal of all buildings, including the grandstand, stables, and worker housing.

With the closing of Bay Meadows on May 11, 2008, Golden Gate Fields became the only major thoroughbred racetrack in Northern California, a distinction it held until its doors shut in 2024. The Stronach Group had announced the track's closure in July 2023, citing a decision to consolidate its California operations at Santa Anita Park in Southern California, before the final date was pushed back to June 2024.

The park conversion is considered one of the largest remaining opportunities to expand public access to the Bay, and environmental advocates have pursued the site for decades. With any housing or commercial development unlikely given the property's zoning, the Trust for Public Land believes its $175 million offer is the only one on the table, clearing the path for what supporters have called a once-in-a-generation transformation of the East Bay waterfront.