A controversial meeting of the California Horse Racing Commission on September 15 illustrated the ongoing differences between some racetracks and racing organizations in the state.
The board’s monthly meeting in Sacramento, California, had officials from Del Mar and 1/ST Racing, active Santa Anita . Park and Golden Gate Field, announced that it had disagreed with the California Thoroughbred Coaches organization on a race-meeting agreement. As a result, the CHRB did not hear items on Thursday’s agenda regarding race day allocation for meetings this fall at Golden Gate and Del Mar.
The entities have not come to terms on such agreements in the past three years, leaving the CHRB to decide on race dates by adopting the old agreements. The commissioners have stated that they will no longer do so.
The point is fair procedures for a coach if a track wants to ban him or her from their facility, as 1/ST Racing did when barring Hall of Fame coach Jerry Hollendorfer from competing at his tracks after he had a series of incidents at Santa Anita and the Golden Gate in early 2019.
Hollendorfer sued, and this June the case was settled. Terms were not disclosed, but speakers at Thursday’s meeting indicated that the dispute proved costly, with CTT chief executive Alan Balch saying the ban was “to face lawsuits.” lasting, worth millions of dollars over two years.”
1/ ST Racing CEO Craig Fravel said they should propose a meeting with a coach they plan to exclude and hear their side before making further decisions. “Then if they don’t agree to that, they have the opportunity to take it to an independent arbitrator,” he said.
But CTT disagrees with 1/ST Racing and Del Mar’s proposal, believing it leaves a coach to prove his case. 1/ ST Racing, as a private property owner, believes they have the right to determine who races at their premises.
Attorney Michael Brewer, who represents CTT, said: “The trail maintains it when they charge a trainer that he or she will have a burden of proof.
Fravel said it is limited by some of its investigative powers, unable to subpoena like a government agency can, for example.
1 / ST Racing CEO Craig Fravel
CTT has reached race agreements with other racetracks in the state.
The trustees made it clear on Thursday that the groups have their next board meeting in October to resolve their differences.
“You can solve it in the corner in about 10 minutes,” said Dr. Greg Ferraro, chair. “But sooner or later, someone is going to have to pull you up and say, ‘Enough, enough. Let’s solve the problem.'”
The CHRB agreed not to award any days absent from the signed race meeting agreement, with only commissioner Dennis Alfieri voting against the proposal.
“We’re simply saying you guys have a month to come back to it and then we’ll work out your pre-race deal, but if not, we’ll impose our decision on the burden of proof. smart,” commissioner Wendy Mitchell said while slightly modifying the motion.
Following that hot topic, temper flared among race representatives over race day allocation. Northern California fairs took place with the scheduled Golden Gate in the northern part of the state, and Racetrack Los Alamitos and Del Mar were at odds over who was in control of the broadcast last week before the start of the Del Mar summer. Contradictions were also evident among the commissioners on the issues.
In a compromise, the CHRB approved a Del Mar grant by the week of 2023 with the intention of awarding Los Alamitos that week or equivalent in 2024. Mitchell disagreed. At times on Thursday, contradictions were evident in discussions between Mitchell and Jack Liebau, vice president at Los Alamitos.
The meeting became more harmonious in the final hour, with the board passing an amendment to align the state apprentice’s apprentice weight allowance with the Association of Race Commissioners model. International car. It also expanded autopsies and cadaver requirements to include horses that died or were euthanized within 72 hours of leaving a CHRB-managed facility. This could apply to a horse being brought to the clinic for treatment, said CHRB chief executive Scott Chaney.
Later in his executive report, Chaney remarked that betting revenue in the state fell 7% in August. This came despite an increase in yard size during a successful summer racing season in Del Mar in which no horses were killed in the nine-week race. Four horses died when not racing, three died suddenly, possibly including a heart attack, and another from trauma from a stable accident.
“So having no racing deaths is really a feat when they have 2,000 horses rammed into their backs,” said Chaney.
