The first, final Last Dance

"It’s sad. Even though I haven’t played here in years because of the cut backs; it’s sad,” said trumpet player David Hardiman. "It’s tradition. Consider how many people have been here over the years.

From show biz faces like Bing Crosby to world-renowned jockeys Willy Shoemaker and Russel Baze, Bay Meadows has played home to many important people. Mostly, it has been home to a family of employees and devoted visitors. Employees held their tears to the very end — maybe hoping to postpone the inevitable or praying for a miracle.

The crowd rose to their feet for the Last Dance race. Post time 6:33 p.m.

"Bay Meadows is poised to give us 90 more seconds of its majesty,” the announcer said over the hum of the crowd. "A quarter of a century is evaporating in front of our eyes.”

Jockey Frank Alvarado won the inaugural and final Last Dance race riding You Lift Me Up. The winners circle was filled with tears and smiles, heartbreak and happiness.

A family affair

"It’s weird. It hasn’t really hit us. It just did. It’s a beautiful place ... and all the nostalgia that goes with it,” said tearful trainer LeeAnne Aiello.

Aiello began training horses 24 years ago and calls Bay Meadows home. She will follow fellow trainers to nearby race tracks at either Golden Gate Fields or Pleasanton.

"I’ve got mixed emotions. To me it’s a sad time and it’s a happy time. Everyone here is family and we’re all together,” said former jockey Art Lobato.

Lobato started racing horses as a jockey in 1970. He won a number of races at Bay Meadows, but had to leave the sport in 1979 when a riding accident shattered his leg and put him in a cast for three years. He tried to return to racing but realized he would never be at the top of his game again.

Unwilling to leave the sport entirely, he applied for jobs at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields. He works with special groups at Bay Meadows and knows just about every face at the San Mateo landmark.

Another longtime employee is Turf Club waitress Bella Lena Bologna, who started at Bay Meadows in 1989. She’s the grandma of the Director’s Room wait staff, but she can run circle around them any day.

"I feel great but I feel a lot of sadness. I will miss the people I work with. It was like a great big family here and it feels like we’ve lost part it,” Bologna said.

Bologna held back tears when her younger co-workers could not. The wait staff took a moment to watch the final race, together, from the Turf Club. Later, they exchanged phone numbers and promised to stay in touch.

"I’ve worked other places and none of them compare to this place,” said Paige Teshera, a bartender with Bay Meadows for 11 years.

A changing city

Patrons shared some of the same grief — for losing something simple and familiar.

For Mountain View resident A.J. Davenport and his friend Adam Missimore, Bay Meadows represents a place where $20 gets you a good time regardless of who you are, what you wear or who you’re with. Everyone has the same goal at the race track, they said.

"It’s a cool place to go when you can be social with people who are in the same mind set,” Davenport said.

Mostly every patron appreciates the value of the race track and the friendly atmosphere, but only the older customers can remember the glory days of Bay Meadows — when Bing Crosby came to town and the track regularly attracted 9,000 people.

"It’s about history. Everyone is growing older, but they don’t understand it’s about history,” said Fritza Henning.

Henning and her friend Priscilla Koering are disappointed the track will be replaced with housing and offices.

"Everything is about money these days. It’s not going to be the same San Mateo,” Koering said.

The Bay Meadows Land Company is proposing 800,000 square feet of office space, 1,066 residential units and 100,000 square feet of retail space on 83 acres near Highway 101 and State Route 92. The City Council approved a development agreement with the developer in 2005 and each year that passes carries with it more of a certainty that Bay Meadows will opt to close the track for a more lucrative opportunity to build housing and commercial offices.

A long history

Bay Meadows opened on Nov. 3, 1934 by racing enthusiast William Kyne. It became a top racing destination in California. By the time of his death in 1957, Kyne was known for the creation of the daily double, night racing, quarter horse racing and the legalization of parimutuel betting.

During its first day, Bay Meadows collected $100,000 in wagers. It later became a leading force in racing and was the first track in California to use the "tote” adding machines, simplified parimutuel betting, photo finishes and electric starting gates.

The race track also played host to a number of famous jockeys such as Joe Ferguson and horses including Seabiscuit. Hall of Famer Russell Baze made history at Bay Meadows in December for the all-time most wins — 9,530. He also rode the popular Lost in the Fog. Though history was made at the track, all attempts by Friends of Bay Meadows to register it as a historical site failed.

There was an unsuccessful petition to place the future of Bay Meadows on the ballot and there is a pending lawsuit. However, it the likelihood of Bay Meadows racing another season is a long shot at best. It will begin auctioning off items next weekend.

Yet some still hold out hope.

"I still keep hope alive. I believe in miracles,” said Raul Maldonado, who began working at Bay Meadows in 1973.

Racing memorabilia, horse racing-related artwork, track equipment and restaurant and bar equipment, along with the commercial assets of the track will be on the auction block come Aug. 23. For more information visit www.greatamerican.com.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.