From CHRB
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2014) – The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, December 18, at Los Alamitos Race Course. Chairman Chuck Winner presided. 1st Vice Chair Bo Derek, 2nd Vice Chair Richard Rosenberg and Commissioners Madeline Auerbach, Steve Beneto, Jesse Choper and George Krikorian were in attendance.
The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:
- The Board approved the license application for the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association (LAQHRA) to conduct a quarter horse meet at Los Alamitos from December 26, 2014, through December 20, 2015.
- Acting on requests from the LAQHRA and the horsemen’s organization for the quarter horse meet, the Board suspended authorization for clenbuterol for quarter horses at Los Alamitos for 12 months, effective January 1, 2015. This means there can be no clenbuterol detected in post-race blood and urine samples taken from quarter horses at Los Alamitos.
- The Legislative, Legal and Regulations Committee, which met Wednesday, reported they are continuing to review the language of the rule that governs disqualifications for interference in races and they are seeking public input on suggested improvements to the rule. The committee will discuss this matter at another public meeting before bringing it to the full Board for consideration. The Committee also reported on matters pertaining to house rules/practices and administrative proceedings.
- The Board discussed the problem of gelding information not always reaching the public in a timely manner and whether the horse should be scratched in fairness to the public. This matter was referred to the Medication and Track Safety Committee for further discussion.
- Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director, and CHRB Safety Steward Jeff Salmon reported on increasing evidence that improper pest control practices by barn personnel were the likely causes of trace levels of rodenticide that were found during necropsies on six horses over the last two years. While those tiny amounts of rodenticide could not be identified as the cause of death for any those horses, rodenticide did appear to be a contributing factor, making it critically important to develop education and enforcement programs designed to prevent the continuing misuse of rodenticides in stable areas.
- CHRB Executive Director Rick Baedeker said he will be pushing marketing departments to offer fan-friendly information on mobile devices to help make racing less intimidating and more appealing to newcomers.
- The Board authorized the Hollywood Park Racing Association to distribute $82,356 in racing day charity proceeds generated during its 2013 meets to seven beneficiaries.
- The Board approved requests from the off-track wagering organizations in both Northern and Southern California to adjust distributions of market access fees relating to Advance Deposit Wagering in accordance with state law. These changes do not affect the takeout.