Just 14 miles east of Oceanside, California lies the town of Bonsall, home of the world famous San Luis Rey Downs Training Center. Located in Southern California, San Luis Rey Downs is the only auxiliary training track continuously approved by the California Horse Racing Board, since its inception in 1984. San Luis Rey Downs is the only facility in the California racing circuit that is open for training 7 days a week, 365 days a year, enabling trainers to develop a permanent home there. Amenities at San Luis Rey Downs include a large regulation-sized equine pool, arena, round pens, stationary training gate, all weather trails, tack shop/feed store, equicise (free run) machines, saddling paddock, track kitchen, mechanical hot-walkers, an equine scale, farrier shop, pens and outside paddocks. There are currently 500 stalls at San Luis Rey Downs, leased by trainers wishing to have a permanent base for their training and racing operations.

The Stronach Group, owners of the San Luis Rey Downs, are a group of world-class technology, entertainment, and real estate development companies with Thoroughbred horse racing at its core. Belinda Stronach, Chairman & President of the Stronach Group, believes that “Horse racing is the last great sporting legacy platform that has not yet fully modernized, and we’re doing that.” The Stronach Group (TSG) is the most dominant player in the Thoroughbred horse racing industry in the United States, with business relations around the globe.

The serene setting of the training center changed dramatically on the morning of December 7, 2017, when tragedy struck. A small brush fire, fanned by unusually powerful Santa Ana winds, quickly grew in size and turned deadly. What would become known officially as the Lilac Fire, the winds continued to rage, picking up speed and burning its way west, eventually reaching the San Luis Rey Downs Training Center. In the end, the fire destroyed 8 barns, including 250 horse stalls, and sadly took the lives of 46 horses. Of the many other horses that were displaced that day, temporary living arrangements were made, but only for a very short period of time. The 250 new stalls had to be move-in ready by April 1, 2018. With no time to waste, the owner, fabricator, and galvanizer sprang into action. 

The fabricator of choice was Double R Manufacturing, located in Ocala, Florida. With such a tight schedule, constant communication between Double R Manufacturing and the galvanizer ensured that the project remained on track. The entire project consisted of 57 tons of galvanized steel. Each horse stall consists of 4 framed walls, along with a door and a window. Safety for the horses is their top priority, so the doors were designed to slide left to right in order to open and close. This design prevents the horse from inadvertently kicking and closing the door on itself in an emergency situation, such as a fire. Because of the thin-walled square tubing used in the fabrication of the stall frames, special attention to ASTM A384 was in order to safeguard against warpage and/or distortion of the galvanized steel. It was imperative that the fabricator adhere closely to ASTM A385 specification, to ensure that proper vent and drain holes were strategically located, to ensure a smooth, uniform coating throughout. Vent and drain hole locations were designed to accommodate both product functionality and a quality hot-dip galvanized coating. Double R Manufacturing feels very strongly that quality control was maintained by keeping the fabrication and the hot-dip galvanizing process local, then sending the finished product to California for installation. 

Highly regarded and respected as one of the premier horse stall designers and fabricators in North America, Double R Manufacturing specified hot-dip galvanizing for its superior corrosion protection, abrasion protection, initial & life-cycle cost savings, aesthetic appeal, and sustainability. Residing only 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the San Luis Rey Downs is already located in a highly corrosive environment, thanks to the salty atmosphere, and once the horses take residence, the corrosive elements quickly intensify. Each stall is equipped with its own water source for daily use. A salt block hangs from the stalls which runs and drips onto the stall frames, along with the salt in the saliva of the horses. And last but not least, the most corrosive element in the stalls is that of the urine from the horses. Hot-dip galvanizing is very popular amongst zoos, farmers, and ranchers because the zinc coating does not chip or flake off like other coatings, such as paint. The horses can sometimes be abrasive in the stalls by rubbing or kicking, and hot-dip galvanized coatings have a proven track record of resisting abrasion, and keeping the horses safe. The resilient zinc coating only adds to the overall appeal of the project. The Stronach Group and Double R Manufacturing have set a new standard of excellence in the market, and have given themselves a huge competitive advantage over their competition. The superior corrosion protection of a hot-dip galvanized coating ensures that future generations of horse racing enthusiasts can enjoy these same stalls for decades to come, with little to no maintenance. 

Some magnificent racehorses have lived in these stalls and galloped to greatness on the surface of the San Luis Rey Downs. One only has to look at the partial list of champions and stakes horses who have called San Luis Rey Downs home over the years. In the end, the Stronach Group and San Luis Rey Downs were presented with 250 new horse stalls that will not only withstand all that this highly-corrosive and abrasive environment can throw at it, but will serve as a true testament to the many long-term benefits that a hot-dip galvanized coating has to offer.