California

It's great to see Kenny McPeek heading to California for the GI Malibu Stakes with (GI) Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. However, it's disappointing that he doesn't have a flight to catch. Instead, he has to travel by van from Louisiana to California. Our industry needs to improve connectivity between the East and West Coasts and the South if we want our racing to survive and thrive. We need to simplify the logistics so that trainers feel more comfortable shipping their horses nationwide. Graded stakes need to be coordinated around...

Golden State Racing launched Saturday its inaugural 26-day Thoroughbred meet at Pleasanton. But punters hoping to wager on its product through two popular ADW platforms are currently shut out--a scenario stemming from a disagreement over the fees that form a key part of a track's purses and revenues. Currently, neither The Stronach Group's (TSG) ADW platform Xpressbet nor the New York Racing Association's NYRA Bets include Pleasanton in their racing menus. Similarly, Elite Turf Club players are also unable to play on the Pleasanton product. Owned by TSG and NYRA,...

Maria Borell, known for training Eclipse Champion Sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver) in the lead up to his win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, has been issued a trainer's license in the state of California. The Daily Racing Form first reported the news Friday. In 2016, Borell and her father, Charles, were charged in Kentucky with 43 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. The charges against her were dropped last year and the DRF noted that Borell plans to train for several clients in California. According to CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten, Borell...

Del Mar concluded its 85th summer racing season Sunday as the seaside track once again recorded strong field sizes and average daily handle as well as the highest daily purses in the state of California. Del Mar averaged 8.6 starters per race and $831,000 per day in total purse distribution. Total wagering for the meet was $502,985,000, a slight decrease from last summer after Del Mar implemented new restrictions on computer-assisted wagering (CAW) players in 2024. Average daily handle was $16,225,000. Track officials indicated that the handle figures were in...

Rick Gold is the recipient of the Ed Friendly Industry Service Award, also known as the TOC Chairman's Award, the Thoroughbred Owners of California announced Monday morning. Following eight years of service to the TOC and other industry boards, Gold is retiring this year. He served as the chairman of the TOC's Integrity & Safety Committee and he played a key role in helping to safeguard California and industry interests during the formation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), according to a release. Gold has campaigned the likes...

Six new members were elected to the Board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California the organization announced Monday. Owner and trainer Mark Glatt, owner/breeder Ty Green, owner/trainer Ryan Hanson, owner/breeder John Harris, current finance committee member Stephanie Hronis and 2021's California Trainer of the Year Andy Mathis will begin their respective terms July 1, 2024. They will join current members Nick Alexander, Gary Barber, Joe Ciaglia, Tim Cohen, Matthew Dohman, Gary Fenton, Bob Liewald, Terry Lovingier and Samantha Siegel for the 2024-2025 year.

MGSW/GISP Tizamagician (Tiznow) was represented by his first foal, a filly, born Feb. 26 at Milky Way Farm in California. Out of the winning mare Esfera (Orb), the foal was bred by Starlene and David Justice's Vendetta Racing Stables. Tizamagician, winner of the GII Cougar S. and the GII Tokyo City Cup S. in California and runner up to Tripoli (Kitten's Joy) in the GI TVG Pacific Classic, retired to stud last year at Milky Way Farm with earnings of over $740,000.

Tickets for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, will go on sale April 22. Featuring 14 Grade I races and over $31m in purses, the 2024 World Championships bring together the world's best horses, jockeys and trainers over two days in Del Mar, CA. Fans can view ticket information here.

With a forecast that calls for more than two inches of rainfall Sunday, officials at Santa Anita Park have preemptively canceled live racing scheduled for that afternoon. The program was to feature the GIII $100,000 Las Virgenes S. for 3-year-old fillies and the GIII San Marcos S. for older male turf horses. Those two races have been rescheduled for next Saturday, Feb. 10, with the races to be redrawn Wednesday, Feb. 7. Saturday's forecast calls for no such inclement weather and racing will go on as planned. Four graded contests...

Berkeley City Council could vote on an ordinance that, if passed, would essentially lead to the premature closure of Golden Gate Fields and throw into question the near-term future of the Northern California horse colony, workforce and training colony, the latter already buffeted by 25% cuts to the track's purses. The Bay Area racetrack is scheduled to race from Dec. 26 through June 9, 2024, after which the facility is set to close permanently. The proposed ordinance--which makes the claim that confining a horse to its stall for the majority...

A quartet of juvenile stakes highlight the stakes schedule for the Los Alamitos winter Thoroughbred meeting. The $300,000 GII Starlet S. for the 2-year-old fillies will take place for the 10th time at the Orange County venue and will take place Saturday, Dec. 9, one week prior to the running of the male counterpart, the $200,000 GII Los Alamitos Futurity. Each race is run over a mile and a sixteenth. The two other 2-year-old stakes are restricted to California-bred and or -sired horses. The $100,000 Soviet Problem S. for fillies...

Thoroughbred aftercare in California will take center stage this weekend as the annual CARMAthon online fundraiser will be showcased live on FanDuel TV for the fourth consecutive year. Throughout the weekend broadcast, FanDuel TV will be amplifying the message and highlighting stories of retired racehorses thriving in their second careers. The goal of the annual fundraiser is to raise $150,000 for retired racehorses. The donations from this fundraiser will help fund CARMA's (California Retirement Management Account) grant program which offers assistance to more than 20 Thoroughbred aftercare charities.