California Horse Racing Board

The Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association released Tuesday evening a seven-page draft "Equine & Rider Safety Enhancement Plan," ahead of a follow-up meeting July 20 with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) concerning a recent uptick in equine fatalities at the track. Among some of the new protocols outlined in the plan is an additional veterinarian to scrutinize horses entering and exiting the track during morning training, and the creation of a program whereby every equine fatality triggers a "Fatality Review" to be conducted by a panel including a...

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is scheduled to conduct an emergency meeting early Friday morning to discuss whether to suspend or impose certain operational conditions to Los Alamitos's racing license. The emergency meeting comes in the wake of a series of equine fatalities at the track—nine since May 26 alone. The Long Beach-located facility is primarily associated with Quarter Horse racing. A seven-day thoroughbred meet recently concluded. This story will be updated with news from the meeting.

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has filed a petition for writ of mandate and damages in San Diego County Superior Court against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) arguing the agency has failed to exercise its regulatory authority and intercede in disputes where several California racing associations have barred the trainer from their grounds. The petition also raises bias and conflict of interest concerns within the CHRB, contending that these issues have compromised the board's ability to exercise its oversight authority in an impartial manner. In June of last...

In a settlement agreement and mutual release with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), leading California trainer John Sadler has been fined $15,000 and handed a 60-day suspension--45 days of which are stayed--for three medication violations dating from 2019. The suspension runs June 29 through June 13. As part of the agreement, Sadler has been placed on probation for one year, ending June 28, 2021. If he incurs any medication violations during that period, the 45 days of stayed suspension will be imposed following a noticed hearing. As first reported...

The whip issue, which never seems to go away, was front and center last week as the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) approved language that would severely limit the use of the riding crop. Under the new rules, horses can be hit on the shoulders and hindquarters, no more than two times in a row without waiting for a response and no more than six times total. That led the Jockeys' Guild to issue a stinging press release that expressed its displeasure with the new rules, calling them "unsafe" and...

After initially being deadlocked on a Thursday vote to put off implementing anti-whipping regulations that have been repeatedly delayed since first proposed in March 2019, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) finally voted 4-2 to pass a rule that will prohibit a jockey from striking a mount more than six times during a race, and then only in an underhanded position with no more than two strikes in succession using whips that must meet new CHRB standards to soften the blows. Representatives from the Jockeys' Guild, plus California riders Mike...

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, barred from The Stronach Group's (TSG) California facilities since June of last year, has fired the latest legal salvo in his ongoing dispute with the company with a first amended complaint against the Los Angeles Turf Club (LATC)--at Santa Anita--filed late last month in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. "We're playing the cards that we are dealt," said Hollendorfer's attorney, Drew Couto, about the reasons behind the latest complaint. "We sought provisional remedies from the outset--we're trying to mitigate his losses by getting...

The California Horse Racing Board's Rule 1867.1, which becomes effective July 1, prohibits the administration of bisphosphonates to any horse within a facility regulated by the CHRB and also prohibits any horse from entering the grounds that has been administered the drug within six months. This means that any horse administered bisphosphonates since Jan. 1, 2020, will not be permitted within any CHRB-regulated facility (racetracks and training centers) within a six-month period of such administration. Additional information on bisphosphonate use in race horses is available on the CHRB website (www.chrb.ca.gov)...

We cannot say this any simpler: American racing does not have a fair and equitable split of the takeout dollar, it has overly and foolishly relied on alternate sources of gaming to supplement purses. So, we remind you--whether you are for or against a 'federal bill,' a Jockey Club member, a commercial breeder, a small syndicate member or anything in between--the status quo is untenable. Something must change. The economics for the sustainability of racing are all askew. ADWs aren't bad--our business REALLY needs them, particularly now. Their percentage of...

At one point in Wednesday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) teleconference meeting, as discussion of yet another agenda item spiraled wildly off-topic and devolved into argumentive cross-talk, chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, attempted to restore order by firmly declaring "chaos is not allowed." For some industry participants who vocalized frustration Apr. 22 at how CHRB meetings have become increasingly dominated by anti-racing proponents using allegedly obstructionist tactics to muddle the hours-long monthly proceedings, the chairman's assertion must have seemed like the figurative equivalent of trying to cram toothpaste back into the...

Scott Chaney takes over as the executive director of the California Horse Racing Board at a pivotal time for racing in the state. He will be asked to steer racing through the coronavirus outbreak while focusing on animal welfare and integrity issues. A lawyer, a former assistant trainer and steward, Chaney sat down with the TDN to discuss his thoughts on his new job and tackling the challenges that he will face. TDN: The Stronach Group is trying very hard to have racing resume at Santa Anita and at Golden...

Scott Chaney, recently appointed executive director of the CHRB, talks to Bill Finley about the horse welfare and integrity issues he said will be the focus of the board. Chaney said he foresees a total ban of the whip in California within the next few years.