County fair race fans rein in spending

In response to the wheezing economy, it has been widely reported that Americans are cutting back on non-essentials such as Budweiser, stepping away from blackjack tables and clinging to whatever job security they have.

Of course, these are merely generalizations.

How else to explain the opening day of horse racing at the Sonoma County Fair on Wednesday? The once-a-year happening, an uninterrupted tradition since 1936, again featured large swaths of people boozing, betting and blowing off an afternoon of work, a bold trifecta in the Era of the Lighter Wallet.

With the track basking in sunshine and temperatures hovering in the mid-80s, a crowd of 3,490 took in a nine-race card that kicked off the first of 12 days of racing.

It looked, on the surface, like celebration as usual. But the financial figures suggested that plenty of people enjoyed the day. In moderation.

The on-track handle of $268,568 was 10 percent off last year’s opening-day total of $298,791. The off-track handle of $927,728 was 19 percent off last year’s $1,151,543.

There were extenuating circumstances, most notably the fact that Santa Rosa and Del Mar Race Track in San Diego both ran one fewer race than on the same day last year.

That accounts for some of the dropoff. The rest?

Santa Rosa’s Michael Chole, 37, likely represented a certain segment of fans that arrived Wednesday with second thoughts about purchasing a $7 margarita or putting the cable bill on the longshot in the fifth race.

“I usually come out with $400 or $500,” said Chole, a physical education teacher at Novato High School. “This year, I came out with $100. I’m not betting as much. I’m just here for the atmosphere.”

The attendance, based on the number of programs sold, was down just 2 percent from last year. But anecdotal evidence Wednesday suggested that many fans were doing more spectating than buying or betting.

Anne Huber, 52, who was working the cash register at a concession stand selling $8.25 chicken breast sandwiches, said she wasn’t as busy as she was last year. Huber’s point was underscored by the interview she was able to conduct because no customers were in line.

Ed Heaney, 62, the former mutuel manager at the Jockey Club across from the fairgrounds, bemoaned what he perceived to be a less-than-stellar opening day.

“You can see it in the betting lines, the concession lines, the beer lines, the box seats, the grandstands — everything is down,” Heaney said. “It’s a shame because this is one of the best fairs going. But as the economy goes, this is what happens.”

But it wasn’t all gloom and doom. Santa Rosa’s Marc Anderson, 35, something of a fair fanatic, was marking his 28th consecutive opening race day with his wife and their 16-month-old daughter. Anderson, who works for Stanley Steemer, annually sets aside a certain amount of cash for the fair, a fund that he said grew this year thanks to booming business.

Similarly, Danny Jones, 33, who works in commercial real estate, said he wasn’t forced to change his betting habits this year.

Jones, in fact, was enjoying the best of both worlds — a stress-free afternoon filled with profits.

“I’m up about 250 bucks,” Jones said. “That’s more than I make at work.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com.