by Scott Hettrick

OK, sounds kind of crazy, I know, but I’m not one of those people who has seen Bruce Springsteen perform dozens of times, and I’m certainly not of the caliber of California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell who told students and administrators at Arcadia schools last month that he has seen his favorite 1970s rock band Chicago in concert 123 times and attended a couple more just last month.

Evolution of 40-year relationship with Uriah Heep
I have only seen Uriah Heep perform in concert three times in 40 years, the most recent being nine years ago at the Greek Theatre. However, I did name my first dog – a Saint Bernard – after lead singer David Byron in 1976 (Lord David Byron of Uriah Heep, AKC).

My high school/college buddies and I reveled in the music of Uriah Heep’s albums in the early-to-mid 1970s even though only a couple of their singles were hits in the U.S. — “Easy Livin’ ” and “Stealin’ ” being the most prominent. We went to see Heep perform live in 1976 and again in 1978 before founding lead singer Byron and the primary writer and soul of the group Ken Hensley left the band.

I included a line on the cover of one of Uriah Heep’s albums in my wedding vows in 1980 – “Life outside can be difficult; life within can be the way you want it to be; but life without you is no life at all.”

I never considered seeing Heep perform again even as I noticed that lead guitarist Mick Box and drummer Lee Kerslake were holding the band together and continuing to tour in Europe and release uninteresting new albums (they did have one fairly big hit in the early MTV music video days of the 1980s, “That’s The Way That It Is”).

Arcadia Heep connection
It wasn’t until years after we had moved to Arcadia in 1991 that one of the best friends of my daughter Brittany called for her in the late 1990s and I heard familiar Uriah Heep music playing in the background through the telephone. When I mentioned it to Brittany, she informed me that her friend’s mother, Sherri Terhorst, is a huge fan of Uriah Heep.

Uriah Heep lead guitarist Mick Box (c) at Greek Theatre in August 2001 with my wife Betty (r) and myself.

Turns out Sherri and her husband Greg are much bigger fans of Uriah Heep than I. They had been to many concerts and know Hensley personally. So it was a thrill when Sherri and Greg invited my wife Betty and I to join them in going to see Uriah Heep perform at the Greek Theatre during one of the group’s rare U.S. concert tours in August 2001. Sherri took us backstage afterwards to meet drummer Kerslake and guitarist Mick Box (see photo at right), a great thrill for me that I quickly shared with my high school/college buddies.

A few years later I saw that Heep was playing in Rio de Janeiro and I considered using a trip to see them as an excuse to visit that continent for the first time, but I could not rationalize the expense.

2010: A Heep Odyssey – Dawn of Opportunity
Earlier this year I got an e-mail from Sherri alerting me that Heep was coming back to the U.S. this summer but only as far west as Missouri. She bought her front row tickets immediately — about four months in advance — but with drummer Kerslake now out of the band too, leaving Mick as the sole original band member (I call him Mick now, since I met him!), I could not rally any interest from my old buddies to follow suit.

About two weeks before the show, Sherri e-mailed again to inform me that she couldn’t go to the concert after all and that her tickets were available if I wanted them. Once again, I could not rationalize the price of an airplane ticket ($500-plus), but it hit me that one of my buddies, Randy, had recently moved to Albuquerque, which I noticed was exactly half the 1,600 driving miles to Missouri via Interstate 40. If he would pick up half of the gas on his half of the journey, and help me with the driving, the cost would be more justifiable and he and I would have great fun catching up during our 24-hours of driving, and I would get to see his new house and city. Nevermind that the trip for me would be 3,200 miles and about 46 hours of driving, at least 22 on my own, over four of the five days I would be gone.

Randy and I in Seattle, 2007

The potential hurdle was that Randy works normal business hours Monday – Friday and the concert was Friday night. I figured he might be willing to try and wrangle one day off work on a last-minute request, but that would mean we would need to leave at about 5 a.m. Friday to do the 800-mile drive from Albuquerque to Kansas City and, hoping for no major construction, traffic, or mechanical delays, still get to Missouri in time for the 8 p.m. concert that same night.

The unlikely adventures of Randy and Scott
I figured there was a good chance Randy would agree. After all, in the past few years he has accepted similar last-minute, seat-of-the-pants offers I have thrown his way, such as a Hall of Fame road trip to Canton, Ohio (NFL) and Cleveland (Rock and Roll). I can’t remember whose idea it was but three years ago we agreed to each fly from our homes and meet in Seattle just to see the pre-Broadway debut of the stage musical version of our favorite movie of 1974, Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.”
Well, I was thrilled to hear that reliable Randy did agree to my latest hare-brained, half-baked adventure.

Albuquerque and Beyond

Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway

I took off on my own last Thursday and drove nearly 800 miles and 10 1/2-hours to Randy’s beautiful new home in mile-high Albuquerque. I got in early enough that he and his wife Jan took me out to dinner and then on the world’s longest (2.7-mile) Sandia Peak aerial tramway during a spectacular sunset to an observation deck at more than 10,000 feet.

Randy and I were back in my car at 5 a.m. Friday and, except for me getting stopped for speeding on a shortcut two-lane highway through a small Texas town where the policeman couldn’t remember if the limit was 40 mph or 45 mph but was pretty sure I was going 52, and except for hitting a perfect storm of Friday night rush hour traffic in Kansas City that was exacerbated by a wreck and one of the few sold-out baseball games of the year, we had time to make a slight detour to grab our local favorite HiBoy hamburgers and still make it to the concert with almost an hour to spare, as planned!

We even met up there with one of my high school buddies Ronnie (he goes by Ron now), who was one of our group at the 1970s concerts.

Not much beyond the finite

The show itself met our managed expectations — kind of like seeing the Beach Boys these days with only Mike Love left from the original group. (Strangely, a couple of Uriah Heep’s “new” members have been with band for decades, three or four times longer than several of the original members.) There were plenty of classic original songs performed fairly well by the new members but Sherri had great seats right in front of Mick, the only guy we really cared to see.
(Story continues below the following 3-minute video from concert.)

It was really all worthwhile for me when, after the final farewell by the group, amidst a throng of faithful followers who had gathered at the front of the stage, a short, overweight, middle-aged woman I had never met turned to me beaming with the happiest and most contented smile and gave me a high-five as she said, “Aren’t you so glad we were here for this?”

Indeed.

I shook hands with Uriah Heep's Mick Box at Missouri concert June 25, 2010.

There was an extra treat afterwards when I shook hands with Mick and reminded him that we enjoyed meeting him at the Greek nine years ago.

Post-Heep
Randy and I spent Saturday visiting parents, siblings and other relatives in the area — my brother Brett and his family were kind enough to put us up at their house Friday and Saturday nights — and eating two days worth of meals within a few hours at several other favorite places — delicious Gates BBQ and a couple of small dive drive-ins called Clem’s (loose meat burgers and tenderloins) and Mugs Up (”zip” burgers and black cows).

By 7 a.m. Sunday morning we were back on the road for another 800 miles and 12 hours to Albuquerque (Randy drove the whole way and also got stopped by a cop in Kansas but was much better at smooth-talking his way out of the ticket and much luckier because the cop couldn’t get his in-car computer to work).

We made it back to Randy’s house in time to enjoy a nice BBQ’d dinner Jan prepared for us on their patio and watch the video and pictures I managed to sneak on my camcorder that Randy had me hook to his TV.

Everything had gone perfectly and without a hitch on what I considered the three most important legs of the journey to get to the concert on time and to get Randy back home in time for work Monday morning. All that was left was for me to get back to Arcadia by Monday night so that early Tuesday morning I could get to a VIP/media preview event for the King Kong 360 3D tram tour attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, which I would videotape using the same camcorder I used at the concert.

Return to fantasy
My final solo 800-mile drive from Albuquerque to Arcadia started off great at 7 a.m. as Randy left for work. I would be in Arcadia by about 4:30 p.m., I calculated as I drove — plenty of time to get unpacked, download the video and photos from my camcorder and recharge the batteries, and have dinner with Betty, followed by a walk and a nice early bedtime to be good and rested for my job the next morning.

Uh, well….

The guitar pick of Mick Box that I caught, with his initials on back (below)

Three hours and 214 miles later after crossing into Arizona and nearing the Painted Desert I was trying to find the apple that Jan had set out for me when it suddenly hit me that I also didn’t see the little black bag with my HD camcorder. I pulled over and checked everywhere, knowing the whole time that I had left it at Randy’s house on the table near his TV after watching the 3 minutes of footage from the concert.

Running through all possible options in my mind, I quickly realized that the one that made the most sense, as daunting as it seemed, was to turn around and go back to get it. I texted Randy, who offered to send it via overnight delivery but it was unlikely it could get to me as early as I needed it the next morning.

He did save me about 20 minutes by driving home to get the camcorder and taking it to his office where I drove into the parking lot only long enough for him to toss it in the window. (He even thought to grab me another apple — Jan informed us later that the apple I also left sitting on the table was enjoyed during my six hours to nowhere by their dog, Jack, who I shall now remember as Apple Jack).

Deja Vu (translation: Desert View x3)
So, after driving 428 miles in more than six hours, I was now leaving Albuquerque for the second time Monday shortly after 1 p.m. About three hours later I was crossing into Arizona again and finally passing the Painted Desert.
I eventually rolled into town by 10:30 p.m. without incident (or any further stops by police).

The originally planned 3,200-mile trip had turned into 3,600 miles of driving for 52 hours during four of the five days I was gone, with me behind the wheel for more than 2,500 of those miles, more than 2,000 of them in 28 hours by myself. And all to see an aging 1970s rock band with only one original member play for 90-minutes.

Heep Wonderworld is Very ‘eavy, Very ‘umble
But it turns out that the Uriah Heep concert was not only a destination but also the impetus that allowed me to get an enlightening tour of Albuquerque and some gracious hospitality and entertaining from Randy’s wife Jan; to reconnect with my buddy Ron, my mother and in-laws, and Randy’s father and family; to spend rare quality time with my brother and his family; to revisit a quartet of our favorite burger and BBQ joints; and to laugh and reminisce with my friend Randy for 24 delightful and memorable hours on the road.

I can’t tell you what I was doing during any given five-day period even a few weeks ago, let alone months ago or years ago. But I can guarantee you that Randy and I will remember almost everything about those days last week for the rest of our lives.

– By Scott Hettrick

Larry Stewart

But concerned individuals may have to wait until the Fourth of July for fireworks. Arcadiasbest.com has learned things may be tamer than previously thought.

Rather than being confrontational, Stronach, the chairman of MI Developments, Inc., which owns Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area, may be taking a cooperative approach and simply appealing to CHRB members that he needs help before he is willing to invest more money into the sport, said a source familiar with the situation.

Stronach has been on the record for years saying he is in favor of deregulation. He wants to race at his tracks whenever he wants. It’s been pretty well established that Stronach would prefer to go up against Hollywood Park, Del Mar or whoever with ideally a three-day race week – and let the best man win.

But there is no magic wand that is going to give Stronach what he wants. Regulations would have to be changed in the state legislature, and that would probably mean expensive lobbying.
If Stronach comes to the meeting in the spirit of working with different factions for a common goal – that being to improve horse racing for all concerned – that obviously would be a good thing.
“It’s time we all get together and figure out how to fix things,” said Darrell Vienna, Southern California vice president of California Thoroughbred Trainers. “We have to isolate the issues and fine solutions. We have a serious plague here and we need to find a cure.”

One concern is that Stronach, as he often does, will stray off topic and talk in circles during the CHRB meetings.
“He needs to express himself on exactly what he wants to do,” said trainer Jim Cassidy.

There is some concern about Stronach’s plans, if any, for Santa Anita’s main track. He funded a recent trip by a half-dozen people to Spain to inspect a surface that features fibers and an underground irrigation system at a facility where polo horses train. This surface has never been used for racing.
The group on that trip included Stronach’s top lieutenant, Dennis Mills, Santa Anita track superintendent Richard Tedesco, a veterinarian, Dr. Don Shields, and trainer Doug O ’Neill.
Stronach suggested the trip to Spain after the same group — minus Mills plus trainer Mike Mitchell — went to Buenos Aires in early May for a look at the sandy loam surface at the Palermo track there.
Tedesco said everyone was impressed with that surface.
“You can water it as much as you like, you don’t harrow it and we were told it is very safe for the horses,” he said. “We’d like to find something like that in the U.S. so we wouldn’t have to ship 30,000 cubic yards from overseas.”

Tedesco cautioned that neither trip means a decision has been made about replacing the main track at Santa Anita. But he did admit the trips were a positive sign that something might be done.
So did Mills. “I wouldn’t have been sent all the way to Spain if (Stronach) didn’t view the track surface as a serious issue,” he said by phone from his office in the Toronto area.
Heavy rain on the current Pro-Ride synthetic surface resulted in five lost racing days during the last Santa Anita meet.

These days, the weather is fine, but there are plenty of other dark clouds hanging over Southern California horse racing. And the mood of those around Clockers’ Corner at Santa Anita has been anything but bright. Rosie Ybarra, the friendly food server at Clockers’ Corner, hears about the fears of uncertainty from horsemen and track employees who step up to her window to place an order.
“It’s scary and people are upset,” she said. “This is how people make their living and they don’t know what is going to happen.”
Hopefully, after Tuesday, they’ll have a little better idea — one way or the other.

Larry Stewart

“The loss of Oak Tree would have financial implications for the city, sure,” said Mayor Peter Amundson. “But beyond that is the harm it would do to Santa Anita, which is so important to our city. We are very concerned about its preservation.
“Wherever you go, if someone is not familiar with Arcadia, all you have to tell them is it is home to Santa Anita.”

To ease the financial hit, MI Developments, Inc. (MID), which now owns the racetrack, has offered to pay the city $185,000 if there is no Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita this fall. But that would only cover what the city makes off the handle during the five-week Oak Tree meet. The city’s cut is one-third of one percent.

The offer from MID was made when two of the company’s top executives, CEO Dennis Mills and COO Don Cameron, met with Arcadia City Council members Mickey Segal and Bob Harbicht three weeks ago.
Segal said $185,000 wouldn’t come close to covering the total loss to the city.
“There is a lot of ancillary money that will go away,” Segal said, referring mainly to tax money generated by racing patrons.

It’s all become a soap opera that could be titled “As Oak Tree Turns.”

First, MID’s Mills on May 15 informed the Oak Tree Racing Association that its lease with Santa Anita was being voided even though the track makes around $4 million a year from that lease.
Oak Tree later set a deadline of June 4 for having a new lease in place, but MID’s Mills told Oak Tree those conditions could not be met and to make plans to take its meet elsewhere.

Since then, Oak Tree has set a new deadline of July 1 for having a deal in place with Hollywood Park, Del Mar or Santa Anita.
However, a deal with Santa Anita appears to be a remote possibility.

Another hurdle appeared when Mills said that if MID decides to replace the Pro-Ride synthetic surface on Santa Anita’s main track, it would take four months and wipe out Oak Tree’s 2010 dates, which are Sept. 29-Oct. 31.
“It’s not going to be a microwave experience,” Mills said from his Toronto area office of the possibility of installing a new track. “No one wants to make the same mistakes that were made on the first two synthetic surfaces, which cost millions and millions of dollars.”

Meanwhile, the city of Arcadia is faced with not only the probability of losing the Oak Tree meet, it has already lost out on the possibility of hosting the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Oak Tree, site of the Breeders’ Cup in 2008 and 2009, at one time was a leading candidate to host the Breeders’ Cup in 2011 and beyond.
But now the 2011 Breeders’ Cup will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., which is also this year’s site.

As for the future of the Oak Tree meet, Mills declined to make any prediction.
“I keep repeating myself,” he said. “The key moment is going to be when Mr. Stronach addresses the horse racing board.”
Mills was referring to MID chairman Frank Stronach and the California Horse Racing Board meeting on June 22 at Hollywood Park.

Meanwhile, the city of Arcadia is faced with losing a major attraction that has been a boon to its economy since 1969.
City Manager Don Penman said the total economic impact on the community would be hard to quantify.
He did, however, provide some details, such as how much the city got from the Oak Tree handle over the past three years. It was $189,012 in 2007 before dropping to $185,291 in 2008 and $184,058 in 2009, despite the presence of the Breeders’ Cup those two years.

Beyond that, the city annually gets between $15,000 and $20,000 from the sales tax of merchandise and food sold at Santa Anita.
A more significant number is the sales tax money from food and merchandise bought by Santa Anita patrons away from the track during the Oak Tree meet. Also, the city has a $10% bed tax on hotels, which generally have a higher occupancy rate when there is racing at Santa Anita. And nearby restaurants frequented by racing fans such as Pepper’s, the Derby and Matt Denny’s Ale House will take a hit if there is no Oak Tree at Santa Anita.
“We’ll feel it, no question,” said Matt McSweeny, the owner of Matt Denny’s. “A lot of people come here straight from the track.”
Trainer John Shirreffs and his wife Dottie are among the racetrack regulars at Matt Denny’s and the Derby, which are both located on Huntington Avenue east of the track.

Local bars such as the Station on Baldwin Avenue will feel the pinch as well.
“We not only get people from the track coming in but also a lot of people who work there,” said owner Terry McCollum, who is also a horse racing regular. “On a personal note, I hate to see Oak Tree go away because it is such a classy meet. It and Del Mar are the two best meets in Southern California. Oak Tree wouldn’t be the same at Hollywood Park.”
Said councilman Bob Harbicht, who previously served three terms as mayor: “Just as important is the tradition and excitement of having the Oak Tree meet here in Arcadia.”

(Editor’s note: A similar story also appears in the June 19 edition of the Thoroughbred Times)

Blog posted September 18, 2008:

I’ve said this many times: One of the great perks of being a sportswriter in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years (going back to my Herald Examiner days before going to the Times in 1978) is that I had the privilege of meeting John Wooden.

Larry Stewart

I’m not sure when I first met the coach but I do remember talking to him at a book signing in the early 1970s. My wife Norma was with me and I can still remember her saying, “I didn’t know you knew Coach Wooden that well.”

I said something like, “I really don’t; I think that’s just the way he treats everyone, like a friend.”

Since then, I’ve had many conversations with Coach Wooden and have visited him at his home in Encino on several occasions. The first time was with Bill Sharman and Arcadia resident Carl Boldt.

Sharman and Wooden, close friends, are two of the three men in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Lenny Wilkens is the other. Boldt was a basketball star on the University of San Francisco teams featuring Bill Russell.

Larry Stewart's wife Norma Stewart at dinner with legendary coach John Wooden.

During that first visit I told Coach Wooden that that my wife and I, when we were first married in 1972 and before we moved to Arcadia, lived in an apartment building just around the corner.
“We went to just about every UCLA home game back then,” I told the coach, then joked, “We could have carpooled.”

Replied the coach, “Yes, we could have but you would have had to leave early.”

Talking with the coach is always a pleasure, but just imagine having dinner with him, as Norma and I did earlier this week.

We picked up the coach and his daughter Nan at the coach’s condominium in Encino and drove to Bistro Gardens, a restaurant in nearby Studio City, to meet another couple, Denny and Lynn Ryan of Glendale. The occasion was Denny’s birthday.

Coach Wooden shows off remnants of birthday cake on October 15, 2008, the day after he turned 98. Larry Stewart took this photo during a visit to Wooden's condo in Encino.

Two years ago, Denny, who is a close friend of both mine and Coach Wooden, arranged a dinner that included the coach and Nan on my birthday. I was returning the favor.

It took Denny and Lynn by complete surprise, and one reason for that is the coach doesn’t go out to dinner very often anymore. The coach, who will turn 98 October 14, is completely immobile since taking a bad fall at his condominium earlier this year.

It took both Nan and I to get him loaded into our car from his wheelchair. And the valet helped us get him loaded back into his wheelchair after we reached the restaurant.

The legs may be gone, but the mind remains sharp.

While Nan, Lynn and Norma mostly talked among themselves during the 2 ½-hour dinner, Denny and I, flanking the coach, hit him with all kinds of questions.

Stewart and Coach Wooden share a moment a few years ago following a charity golf tournament at Riviera during which Wooden was honored.

The Bruins upset Kentucky in the championship game to give Wooden 10 national titles in 12 years.

I told the coach those games against Louisville and Kentucky ranked one-two on my personal list of most memorable sporting events I had witnessed.

“That Louisville game was very well played by both teams,” the coach said. He also singled out David Meyers as the star of that 1974-75 team, and said he thought Meyers never got the credit he deserved.

There had been speculation before the Louisville game that Wooden might retire. I was then the assistant sports editor of the Herald Examiner and we ran a big headline on Page 1 of the Sports section speculating that Wooden was considering retirement. The Times, meanwhile, ran a short story on Page 2.

The other night I asked Coach Wooden when he made the decision to retire.

“If you would have asked me before that game when I was going to retire, I would have told you in two or three years,” he said. “Despite anything that was written, I made up my mind on the way to meet with the media after the game.”

He said there were a number of factors that made him decide to retire at age 64. He did not want to say what those factors were.

He said J.D. Morgan, then the UCLA athletic director, “spent the rest of the night trying to talk me out of retiring.”

Coach Wooden also said that he has never had any regrets about leaving when he did.

Talking about his retirement reminded Wooden of another story, one he said he had never told publicly.

He said that around 1970, a sportswriter asked him how much longer he planned to coach.

“I told him maybe five or six more years,” Wooden recalled. “And then he asked what I planned to do after retirement. I said, ‘I think Nell (his late wife) and I would like to get a condominium in La Jolla.’ “

After the NBA’s Clippers moved from Buffalo to San Diego in 1978, the team’s owner at the time, Irv Levin, offered Wooden the head coaching job. And Levin had somehow seen or remembered that quote.

“He told Nan and I that we could pick out any condominium in La Jolla that was for sale and he would buy it for us,” the coach said. “And he said if we couldn’t find one we liked, he’d build us one. My concern was if the team didn’t play well, I’d be fired.”

Even though Levin offered a six-year contract, Wooden decided to stay retired.

Levin ended up selling the Clippers to Donald Sterling in 1981 and in 1984 the team moved to Los Angeles, where it has struggled for the most part. Maybe things would have been different if Wooden, who was named the greatest coach of the 20^th century by ESPN, had accepted Levinâ’s offer.

Among the questions my friend Denny asked Wooden during dinner was this: “How many wins in your career do you think you were directly responsible for that your team won because of your decisions.”

“Oh, I don’t know if there were any,” the coach said. “But there were some games I was responsible for us losing.”

Asked to name one, he said the 1974 Final Four semifinal loss to David Thompson-led North Carolina State at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

“We had an 11-point lead in the second half and a seven-point lead in the overtime,” he said. “I should have slowed it down and played more conservatively and there were some substitutions I should have made but didn’t.”

Reminded just how devastated senior center Bill Walton has always been about that loss, Coach Wooden said, “I know. He blamed himself. But it was my fault.”

Eventually, the dessert had been eaten and it was time to go. But there is one more story worth sharing.

When the valet brought our car around, I realized I didn’t have enough money for an appropriate tip. So I asked Norma for a dollar, which she gladly supplied.

As Nan and I and the valet were helping the coach back into the car, he reached into his pocket, which was a struggle, and pulled out a small wad of bills. He peeled off one dollar and said, “Norma, this is for you. A woman shouldn’t have to pay.”

That’s Coach Wooden.

Above all, he is a true gentleman.

Larry Stewart

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Larry Stewart’s report for the Thoroughbred Times:
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Oak Tree, which has held its fall meet at Santa Anita since 1969, had given Magna International Developments, which now owns the Arcadia racetrack, a deadline of noon today for agreeing to terms on a new lease.

Dennis Mills, vice chairman and CEO of MID, let Oak Tree Executive Vice President Sherwood “Chilly” Chillingworth know by phone today that his company could not meet that deadline.

Mills said he told Chillingworth no decision could be made regarding Oak Tree until MID chairman Frank Stronach addressed the California Horse Racing Board at its next scheduled meeting on June 22 at Hollywood Park.

“I told Chilly he could start working on Plan B or Plan C,” Mills said. “I guess Plan B would be going to Hollywood Park and Plan C would be going to Del Mar.”

“Dennis told us to go ahead with our plans, and that’s what we are doing,” Chillingworth said. “We’re singing the same song.” He said he has talked to officials at both Hollywood Park and Del Mar and hoped to have a deal in place soon.

Hollywood Park president Jack Liebau said, “Chilly knows we would welcome Oak Tree to hold its meet at our facility. I see no obstacles in the way of that happening. We have offered our track rent free. You can’t get a better deal than that.”

Del Mar has also offered the Oak Tree association its track rent free as well.

The CHRB, at a meeting May 20 at Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area, approved the Oak Tree meet dates, which are Sept. 29-Oct. 31. Now all Oak Tree needs is a racetrack.