One of the oldest horse racing tracks in the country is right here in Northern California at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, and it’s in danger of shutting down due to financial issues, but one group of racehorse owners are stepping up with a last-ditch effort to save the track.

Monty Meier spent his entire life on the backside of the racetrack.

“I started when I was 14 years old. My brother was a jockey, and I went to the track. I’m going to be 67 the 2nd of April,” said Meier. 

It was hard for him to hold back his emotions as he talked about the possibility of ending all horse racing in Northern California by closing the racetrack at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

The California Authority of Racing Fairs, a governing body that organizes races in Northern California decided to end horse racing in Pleasanton after facing financial difficulties last fall.

With the closure, hundreds of workers will be out of jobs. The bigger issue is many will be without housing since hundreds of the people who work with the horses also live at the racetrack and are generally very low-income.

“They don’t know what they’re going to do now. They don’t know where we’re going to end up. They’re scared,” says Meier. 

That’s where George Schmitt comes in.

“He’s beat me, and I’ve beat him. You betcha!” said Meier and Schmitt, laughing. 

George owns more than 75 racehorses in California and he, along with John Harris of Harris Ranch, who is another big owner, have come together and offered to put up $2 million to pay for operations to keep the racetrack open.

“We love the game. We think it should continue. We think people love the game. There are also hundreds of people who work here, and in the middle of the school year is not a good time to tell those that have families that you’ve got to get out of here,” says Schmitt. 

The group has also gotten the support of local lawmakers.

“It’s not just about horse racing. It’s about people’s livelihood, and it’s about our culture, and it’s about 120 years of horse racing that’s happened here at the fairgrounds and we want to keep that going,” said David Haubert, the Alameda County Supervisor for the Pleasanton area. 

“It’s also, economically, a driver that allows everything else that happens at the fair to happen, and so it is disappointing that we could lose this. I actually had worked to support to expand horse racing in Alameda County to year-round,” said US Congressman Eric Swalwell who represents eastern Alameda County. 

For those on the backside like Monty, they’re just hoping for a miracle.

“This is hard for me guys. I just never thought it would end like this,” he said.

There are still meetings happening this week to discuss that last-ditch effort to save the track. If it doesn’t work, everything will close on March 25.