Contact Information: Media Contact: Jackie Reau Game Day Communications (513) 708-5822, mobile
SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - August 14, 2008) - More than seven decades of horse racing
history will be on display at the auction of
the assets of Bay Meadows Race Course, California's oldest continuously
running race track, starting Saturday, August 23 and running through
Monday, August 25.
Among the 2,500 lots that will be up for auction will
be racing memorabilia, horse racing-related artwork, track equipment and
restaurant and bar equipment, along with the commercial assets of the
track.
"This is a time to recognize and honor the long history of horse racing at
Bay Meadows," said Mark Weitz of Great American Group, the
L.A.-based firm managing the auction. "It is not often that a racing
collection of this caliber is offered to the public."
Bay Meadows
Race Course opened its doors on November 13, 1934. Among the track
innovations unveiled at Bay Meadows were pari-mutuel wagering, the Daily
Double, the first all-enclosed starting gate, the 'tote' board and the
photo-finish camera.
The famed thoroughbred Seabiscuit ran at Bay Meadows, winning the Bay
Meadows Handicap twice, in 1937 and 1938. In 1948, Hall of Fame jockey Bill
Shoemaker began his career at Bay Meadows by exercising horses, and winning
his first stakes race on the track in 1949.
Auction inspection day will be
Friday, August 22, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (PDT). On Saturday, August 23,
and Sunday, August 24, the auction will start at 10 a.m. Pacific. Both days
will feature all non-commercial assets of the track, including memorabilia
and artwork, stadium seating, television and radio studio equipment,
stables, track lighting, office furniture and computers. On Monday, August
25 at 10 a.m. (PDT), the auction will feature all
commercial assets of the track, including restaurant equipment, maintenance
equipment, landscaping and track equipment.
The auction is free and open to
the public. A live web cast of the auction also is available with real time
bidding at www.greatamerican.com. An auction
catalog is available on the website.
About Great American Group
Great American Group is America's leading asset conversion specialist for
Fortune 500 and 1000 companies with 32 years of industry expertise in
liquidation management, auctions and appraisals. Great American has managed
more than 1,500 auctions including high profile properties such as the
assets of Chasen's in Los Angeles and La Maisonette in Cincinnati and the
Stardust Casino in Las Vegas.
