The Last Dance: Final Days of Bay Meadows (Part 3) (Bay Meadows' last race)

Footage and interviews from the final three days of racing at Bay Meadows Racecourse in San Mateo, Calif. The last race starts at 6:56.

"And it's a surreal scene as three-quarters of a century's tradition is evaporating before our eyes."

CORRECTIONS:
The bugler's name is David Hardiman, not David Harriman.

Quick Song won race NINE, not race seven. Race NINE was the last race on dirt.

I was in a rush to get this posted as I soon had to head back to the East Coast, so some mistakes were inevitable.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Bay
• Meadows
• San
• Mateo
• horse
• racing
• betting
• last
• race
• You
• Lift
• Me
• Up
• Jerry
• Hollendorfer

[RailbirdPictures]

"Come on horse, come on you big horse!" So long as the 2, from southern California didn't get it, we were happy. But it was Frank Alvarado on top of You Lift Me Up! Loved it.

~ Fer

[airforbes1]

Only two of the six fillies had Nor Cal trainers: You Lift Me Up (winner of the last race, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer) and Tiz Madison (who has the dubious distinction of being the last horse cross the finish line at Bay Meadows, trained by Jeff Bonde). It was nice to have the curtain fall with Nor Cal connections winning. And "You Lift Me Up" is a fitting name, since Bay Meadows certainly lifted me up many times. It also knocked me down a lot too, but that's racing!

[duckinald]

so who takes over the bay meadows meet?????

or is it just now a big hole?

[airforbes1]

They're knocking the facility down right now. Simulcasting has moved to the San Mateo County Fair, adjacent to Bay Meadows, but handle has plummeted there compared to Bay Meadows as a simulcasting site. In 2009, Golden Gate will host all of the racing, besides a break for the county fairs. It will be like Philadelphia Park West.

[RailbirdPictures]

You got the killer audio of Michael Wrona saying, " Dancing!" That was the best part. We didn't even catch it at the track. Good job.

~ Fer

[MarathonManPeatMoss]

Really sad to watch this, had some good times there. Do I have any reason to set foot in the city of San Mateo ever again? No.

[7855waldo]

Thanks for making the videos. Someone was nice enough to alert the DRF Steve Crist log that they exist, and you did an excellent job.

Racing cannot survive, if in 1950, when you won $100, you were rich - and if you win $100 in 2008, you're not.

Inflation has triumphed.

Damn.

[duckinald]

very very sad....saw the race from del mar and didnt even know it was the last race....big russell baze fan and fan of bay meadows and gg fields...for the record i had my maloff rocket in that last race....great vid