From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (May 29, 2026) — Cindy Niemetz, the longtime West Coast representative for the International Racing Bureau and former contributor to “The Thoroughbred of California” magazine, passed away earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
The veteran horsewoman was an omni-present figure at the annual Breeders’ Cup for more than three decades, running the quarantine barn for international shippers. Self-described as a “Mother Hen,” she worked as a conduit between the international entrants, the Breeders’ Cup, the host track and the U.S. Department of Agriculture rules and regulations.
“Some people do a job; others become part of the fabric of an industry,” said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President & Chief Racing Officer for the Breeders’ Cup. “Cindy was the latter- tireless in her work, extraordinary in her life story and deeply respected by everyone fortunate enough to know her. Behind every successful international foray was Cindy Niemetz and the IRB team. She will be missed by so many.”
Niemetz had a wide-ranging and colorful life that included dating rock star Eric Clapton and befriending Andy Warhol. She began her career out of college by working for “The Thoroughbred of California” magazine, where she put her art history degree to work in the art department. She and her first husband were married in the Santa Anita Press Box in 1977.
But it was working directly with horses where Niemetz felt most at home. She was an assistant trainer to Hall of Famer Gary Jones for five years in the mid-1980s. Niemetz opened her own stable in 1987 and became the first woman to train a stakes winner at the Orange County Fair at Los Alamitos, taking the T.S.C. Lowe Stakes with Thai Dye prior to joining the IRB that fall.
Niemetz devoted much of her free time to working with her therapy dog as docents for Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Niemetz was preceded in death by her second husband, former Santa Anita Park veterinarian Ray Baran.
Per her request, there will not be a formal funeral, but her many friends may celebrate her memory at a date to be named later.