The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Thursday, September 27, at Santa Anita Park. Chairman Chuck Winner presided. Vice Chair Madeline Auerbach and Commissioners Jesse Choper, Fred Maas 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 approved the license application for a fall meet at Del Mar beginning November 9 through December 2. Joe Harper, chief executive officer of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, indicated the same enhanced safety protocols that helped protect horses for the last three meets at Del Mar will remain in place. He specifically thanked the CHRB for its active support in this safety effort and horsemen, who he said have been especially cautious in entering horses they feel might not be physically race ready. These safety protocols have helped reduce equine fatalities at Del Mar by more than 70 percent.
· The Board approved a regulatory amendment prohibiting any horse from racing within five days of receiving an intra-articular injection (cortisone or other intra-articular treatments). The amendment further requires trainers to maintain records of such injections and make them available to examining veterinarians for pre-race and other examinations required by the Board.
· The Board completed the racing calendar for 2019 by allocating race dates supported by almost all stakeholders in California. The allocations for Northern California came together after most interested parties agreed on a compromise that provides subsidies from Golden Gate Fields and the Thoroughbred Owners of California for the race meet in Ferndale. This compromise results in Golden Gate remaining open for stabling throughout the fair season. The date allocations for Northern California begin December 26, 2018, through June 9 at Golden Gate, followed by the Alameda County Fair meet in Pleasanton (June 13-July 7), the State Fair meet in Sacramento at Cal Expo (July 12-28), the Sonoma County Fair meet in Santa Rosa (August 1-11), Golden Gate (August 15-September 29), the Humboldt County Fair meet in Ferndale (August 16-25), the Big Fresno Fair meet in Fresno (October 4-14), and then concluding back at Golden Gate (October 17-December 11).
Date allocations for Southern California mirror the 2018 thoroughbred calendar beginning December 26, 2018, at Santa Anita Park, through June 25. The racing circuit continues to Los Alamitos (June 26-July 16), followed by Del Mar (July 17-September 3), Los Alamitos (September 4-24), Santa Anita (September 25-November 5, including the Breeders’ Cup), Del Mar (November 6-December 3), and finally Los Alamitos (December 4-17). The actual dates for each meet will fall within these allocated dates as determined in the license applications.
The Board also allocated dates for quarter horse racing at Los Alamitos from December 26 through December 17 and for harness racing at Cal Expo from December 26 through May 7 and October 27 through December 23 (actual meet dates to be determined).
· In his report to the Board, Executive Director Rick Baedeker urged anyone suspicious about someone possibly committing a drug violation to contact CHRB investigators and to not take matters into their own hands by having testing done on their own, which would not meet strict chain-of-custody requirements. He noted that California has a comprehensive, reliable equine drug testing program that includes time-tested protocols for maintaining control of samples. He said this program includes extensive out-of-competition testing at racetracks and the San Luis Rey training center.
· The Board approved for 45-day public notice a proposed regulatory amendment requiring final odds to be posted on all displays within five seconds of the close of wagering for any race. Executive Director Baedeker reported that odds continue to change after the start of races, which causes some players to question the integrity of the wagering. The problem is due to the time it takes for wagers placed very close to the start to be processed. He said it would be up to the racing industry to determine the best way to meet this five-second goal.
· The Board approved a regulatory amendment requiring the stewards to scratch any previously raced horse whose sex has been altered (i.e. gelded) if the public is not informed of the true sex of the horse prior to the opening of wagering on the race.
· The Board authorized both the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Los Alamitos Racing Association to distribute a total of $32,322 in race day charity proceeds to designated beneficiaries.
· The Board authorized the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association to conduct the annual Los Alamitos Equine Quarter Horse Yearling and Mixed Stock Sale on October 6 and 7.
· The Board approved a regulatory amendment correcting a discrepancy in the penalties chart in Rule 1843.3.
· The Board approved a regulatory amendment adjusting the jockey riding scale to meet California minimum-wage requirements.
(CHRB)