From CHRB
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Apr. 19, 2024) — The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at Cal Expo in Sacramento. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Brenda Washington Davis, and Thomas Hudnut.
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. In brief:
- Northern California stakeholders took another step towards filling in the 2024 racing calendar – reflecting the permanent closure of Golden Gate Fields after June 11 – by dividing up summer weeks vacated by Golden Gate and extending fair meets in Sacramento, Ferndale, and Fresno. While the individual meet applications still must be considered by the Board, those interests made the customary request that their meets along with the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton be designated as one continuous meet
,largely for pari-mutuel carryover reasons. The Board approved the request for a continuous meet. A fourth fair meet in Santa Rosa – separate from those three – is expected to extend its season by one week when its application is considered. - When Dr. Jeff Blea gave the report of the equine medical director, Chairman Ferraro asked what additional steps could be taken to further reduce the number of equine fatalities in California. Dr. Blea responded, “Continue to do what we’ve been doing but get better at it,” referring to nearly 60 safety initiatives implemented by the Board and racetracks that have reduced fatalities by more than 50 percent in recent years. He also said those responsible for horses “should not get complacent.”
- The Board approved a new wager proposed by Santa Anita that will require bettors to correctly select the first three finishers (trifectas) in three designated races on a single card. Players pick the first, second and third position for each of three sequential races. At the end of the third race, players can win a share of the parimutuel pool by having anywhere between three and nine correct selections. Santa Anita plans to begin offering the wager sometime in May.
- The Board approved a request by Xpressbet to enter into an agreement with Bet365 that will allow their respective customers to access the other’s platform. This does not allow customers in California to make sports wagers on the Bet365 platform because sports wagering is not permitted in California. At present this is considered to be primarily a marketing strategy.
- CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney reported on ongoing discussions with all California racetracks and horsemen’s groups on the fairest way to fund CHRB operations, given that Golden Gate has been a major contributor to this effort, so its departure will place an extra burden on other stakeholders. Chaney expressed hope that stakeholders will bring a funding proposal to the Board that they all will agree on.
- The Board adopted regulatory amendments clarifying that only Board-licensed veterinarians may perform endoscopy examinations or administer any substance using a hypodermic needle.