From CHRB
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2024) — The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at Cal Expo. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri and Brenda Washington Davis.
The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link, accessed through the Media Room tab.
Golden State Racing’s (GSR) decision to withdraw its license application for a thoroughbred meet at Pleasanton in 2025 greatly abbreviated the meeting agenda. Vice Chair Gonzales and Commissioner Alfieri both spoke to this issue, as they had worked tirelessly with industry leaders and northern horsemen and workers, first in an effort to preserve the GSR meet, and then when that could not be achieved, to help implement the plan for continued stabling in Pleasanton with horses being shuttled back and forth for racing in the south. Vice Chair Gonzales referenced the CHRB news release statement on this issue (link) and its optimism that a full northern circuit could someday be reinstated if economic conditions improve for horse racing. Commissioner Alfieri echoed this sentiment and pledged the CHRB’s commitment to making the stabling and vanning plan work to the satisfaction of northern interests.
Chairman Ferraro added, “I know this is going to be a difficult transition. We hope it works. If it doesn’t work, we’ll adjust it to make it work. Hopefully, it’s a temporary thing, and if things and times get better, we can go back to where we were.”
The withdrawal of GSR from the northern racing calendar prompted the Board to officially rescind the allocation of thoroughbred dates in 2025 that had been awarded to GSR. At this time, the Board has no requests for date allocations from any of the northern fairs.
The GSR decision prompted Santa Anita to amend its own license, principally to add Pleasanton as an auxiliary training facility and to add racing days/programs that will offer races specifically designed for the northern shippers. In conjunction, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) amended is agreement with Santa Anita to permit the running of $5,000 claiming races and $8,000 maiden claiming races at the meet with purses ranging from $12,500 to $14,500.
In matters pertaining to the stabling at Pleasanton and shuttling those horses to and from the south, the precise costs have yet to be worked out, so agenda items dealing with those finances were put over until January 1. The Board gave Executive Director Scott Chaney authority to approve those items when the time comes.
The balance of the agenda went very quickly. In brief:
The Board approved three items involving California’s commitment to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit. The Board will renew its voluntary agreement to provide equine drug testing and provide stewards and veterinary personnel to enforce HISA and HIWU regulations. In return, California thoroughbred tracks and horsemen will receive substantial credits to offset HISA and HIWU fees.
In the Equine Medical Director’s report to the Board, Dr. Jeff Blea noted that two new rules are taking effect, one to further limit the administration on injections to horses, the other clarifying issues relating to medication contraband at racetracks. While the CHRB works closely with HISA and HIWU in the enforcement of their regulations, California continues to improve its own regulations to make enforcement even stronger.
The Board authorized the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association to conduct a horse sale at Fairplex Park in Pomona on January 21.
The Board approved the distribution of $2,900 in race day charity proceeds by the Los Alamitos Racing Association to four beneficiaries.
The Board approved the distribution of $14,382 in race day charity proceeds by the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association to four beneficiaries.
The Board approved various, proposed regulatory changes pertaining to occupational licenses and fees, terms of license, and related matters.
The Board approved a modification of the distribution of market access fees to allow for the continuation of a co-op marketing agreement between the TOC and tracks.
The Board approved a modification of the distribution of market access fees to allow for the continuation of funding support for Southern California Off Track Wagering, Inc.