Hubbard Gives In on Friday Night Racing

Although a new purse agreement with Hollywood Park still needs to be worked out, the California Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. will urge owners and trainers to enter horses today for the Wednesday and Thursday programs at the Inglewood track.

There has been no racing at Hollywood Park since last Wednesday because of civil unrest in Los Angeles.

“Dave Hofmans (CHBPA director and head of the Southern California Thoroughbred Trainer’s Assn.) will be at Hollywood Park today, and I will be at Santa Anita encouraging horsemen to support the programs,” said Brian Sweeney, a CHBPA director. “In light of what’s gone on, it’s going to take an effort on everybody’s part to get people to come to Hollywood Park.”

At a meeting with horsemen Monday, R.D. Hubbard, Hollywood Park board chairman and chief operating officer, abandoned plans for Friday night racing and the cross-simulcasting of quarter horse racing from Los Alamitos and harness racing from Sacramento. Those two issues prompted many owners and trainers to boycott the entry box last week.

Hubbard said Sunday he was going to suspend Friday night racing temporarily, but since has decided against night racing, with one exception. He hopes to have a single twilight card on Friday, July 3, to begin the holiday weekend. Post time that day will be sometime between 3 and 7 p.m. Every other Friday, post time will be the usual 1 p.m.

But Hubbard wasn’t willing to sign the new purse agreement presented by the CHBPA.

“We thought we had reached an agreement with the CHBPA leadership to get back to the business of racing, but now they are demanding Hollywood Park sign a new purse agreement,” Hubbard said in a prepared statement.

“The first chance I had to see this agreement was (Monday) morning, and we’re being asked to sign it without any chance to review and discuss it.”

Hollywood Park President Don Robbins, who spent most of his day negotiating with Pari-Mutuel Employees Guild (Local 280) trying to resolve that dispute, said the purse agreement appears to have some language modifications.

“There are several terms favoring the horsemen which have been added, and several others have been deleted to the detriment of the tracks,” Robbins said. “We’re willing to negotiate a purse agreement, but that requires some dialogue, which hopefully will begin (today).”