All bets are off at San Mateo County Event Center

“Considering the age demographic of not only the clientele base, but our staff as well, who are all susceptible (to the virus), I was adamant about the need to be safe,” said Dana Stoehr, CEO of the Event Center. “I’m a venue manager. … I don’t have a medical background, but it doesn’t take someone with an advanced degree to know that there is a pandemic.”

Stoehr said when the San Mateo Jockey Club reopened in June with outdoor facilities in place, the demand was certainly there. She said the club was at its allowed capacity of 225 patrons, “at any given time.”

Stoehr said some of her decision to shutter the club temporarily was because, as a member of the board of California Authority of Racing Fairs, she was in contact with counterparts around the state and was hearing from them they were stopping operation at their facilities. When it became clear the San Mateo Jockey Club was one of the few left standing, Stoehr saw how that could be a problem in maintaining a healthy environment here.

“About three weeks ago, I was on the phone with other facilities (around the greater Bay Area) and I saw everyone was else was going to purple. If we’re the only ones open, what happens when everyone else shuts down?” Stoehr said. “We would become the attraction. [Those who wager on horse racing are] willing to travel.”

Many who wager on horses are in their 60s, many with existing health conditions that put them at greater risk of catching COVID-19. Horse bettors can be ornery at times and Stoehr said it can be challenging to get everyone at the San Mateo Jockey Club to follow the health protocol in place.

“They can be a hard group to manage when it comes to following the rules,” Stoehr said.

Stoehr said the fact it can take weeks for a county to move from one color tier to another, in addition to the Jockey Club annually closed the last week of month, she figured ceasing operations for the entire month of December was in the best interest of everyone involved. Plus, she was able to reassign employees to other areas of the Event Center to keep people working.

“We figured it was best to take a pause. Be safe,” Stoehr said.

Not only is Stoehr looking out of the safety of everyone involved, she is also looking out for her own self interests. Mess this up and she could be out of a job.

“We’re not in the position to make bad decisions,” Stoehr said. “When you’re in the business of fun and events, you have to have a really sharp conversation with yourself. If you don’t do the right thing, you’re not going to be around to do the right thing.”

The plan, as it stands, is to re-evaluate the first week of January, with the hope that conditions have improved enough to reopen the jockey club. But it will take more than just San Mateo County to be out of the most restrictive tier. Stoehr said other counties around the Bay Area would also have to moving into less restrictive tiers as well.

“When I start seeing COVID cases dropping across the Bay Area regions. … If cases are generally going down and it looks like things are moving in a good direction (then the San Mateo Jockey Club will reopen).”