From CHRB
LOS ALAMITOS, CA – The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, June 25, at Los Alamitos Race Course. Chairman Chuck Winner presided. Vice Chair Richard Rosenberg and Commissioners Madeline Auerbach, Steve Beneto, Jesse Choper, George Krikorian, and Alex Solis also 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 and its race date committees received suggested 2016 racing calendars from racetracks, fairs, and horsemen’s organizations. The CHRB and stakeholders will continue discussing those proposed calendars, as well as any developed by the committees. The Board will vote on 2016 race dates at the August meeting.
· CHRB Executive Director Rick Baedeker reported on continuing CHRB and industry efforts to safeguard the health and welfare of all horses stabled at CHRB-regulated facilities, including veterinary examinations of ponies, the digitization of equine medical records, and a microchip program that was launched this year at Golden Gate Fields. He also reported that handle on California races increased nearly 8 percent last month compared to May 2014.
· The Board moved to implement an emergency rule to ban the use of clenbuterol at Los Alamitos Race Course. This action is supported by management and horsemen at Los Alamitos. It ensures continuation of a previous ban.
· The Board suspended the use of clenbuterol for 12 months for quarter horses at the Sonoma County Fair.
· The Board presented Bo Derek with a resolution in appreciation of her service as a racing commissioner for nearly seven years, especially for her leadership in protecting the health and safety of riders and horses.
· The Board authorized the distribution of $27,845 in race day charity proceeds by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club to five beneficiaries.
· Joe Morris, president of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, indicated his organization remains fully supportive of video surveillance systems in stable areas and has committed $150,000 for this purpose. He said discussions are continuing with Santa Anita on this matter. Board members expressed their appreciation and indicated they would prefer that stakeholders install surveillance systems voluntarily without being mandated to do so.
· The Board approved the license application for the Pacific Racing Association to conduct a race meet at Golden Gate Fields from August 19 through September 7.
· The Board approved the license application for the Humboldt County Fair to conduct a race meet in Ferndale from August 21 through August 30.
· The Board approved for public notice a proposed regulatory amendment to adjust jockey riding fee scales to reflect state-mandated increases in the minimum wage.
· The Board adopted a regulatory amendment revising the race meet application by deleting the requirement for any racetrack to have a synthetic surface, while adding requirements for information pertaining to emergency procedures, stakes races, and wagers.
· Joe Morris reported that the stabling and vanning fund has achieved a $400,000 operating surplus after experiencing deficit operations for many years. He said the industry is discussing ways to pay off debt and ensure adequate stabling in the future.
· The Board approved the agreement by which the racing industry funds CHRB operations. The agreement includes additional funding for equine drug testing at U.C. Davis.
· The Board adopted a regulatory amendment adding isofluprodone and its specified authorized level to the list of California’s authorized medications and lowering the amount of ketoprofen that can be present in test samples.
· Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Sales, reported that the inaugural sale at Del Mar showed a 31-percent increase over the 2014 sale at Fairplex Park.
· Commissioner Auerbach reported on the recent meeting of the Medication and Track Safety Committee. The topics included penalties for medication violations, thepostmortem examination report, gene doping and other emerging threats, racing soundness examinations, and the need to protect ponies.
· Commissioner Solis reported on the recent meeting of the Jockey and Driver Welfare Committee. The topics included the proper use of riding crops, the need for CHRB personnel to inspect all crops to make certain they are in compliance with regulations, and concerns about the distances of races for 2 year olds.