TOC

Greg Avioli resigned his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Thoroughbred Owners of California, effective Apr. 1. According to a TOC release Friday, he will pursue other interests and ventures. Avioli joined the Toc in 2016. "TOC appreciates the contributions he has made to the organization and to the California Thoroughbred community as a whole and wishes him well in his future endeavors," read a TOC statement Friday. "TOC is focused on the continued success of the organization and has already begun the search for a new President...

Members of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) have elected Southern California-based trainer Ryan Hanson and Northern California-based owner/breeder Lindsay LaRoche of Highland Yard to its Board of Directors. Incumbents Ed Moger, Stephanie Hronis and Rick Gold were also reelected. All five will serve three-year terms, effective July 1. A total of 6,003 ballots were mailed to eligible voters, and 1,579 qualifying ballots were received. The complete vote tally is available for viewing on TOC's website at www.toconline.com. The newly elected directors join Nick Alexander, Joe Ciaglia, Gary Fenton, Mike...

Based on increasing vaccine availability and declining COVID-19 numbers, The Stronach Group and TOC outlined new protocols at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields to allow licensed owners more access to the grounds. SANTA ANITA PARK Mandatory Santa Anita protocols, including social distancing (a minimum of six feet), face cloths covering your nose and mouth, health screening, temperature check and wrist banding will continue to be enforced for everyone entering Santa Anita, including the Stable Area. Winner's Circle After each race, the winning horse will be brought into the...

After alleging last month that a disagreement over advance-deposit wagering (ADW) hub rate fees was so egregious that it amounted to a "shakedown" that needed to be fought in federal court, a subsidiary of the gaming corporation Churchill Downs, Inc., dropped its lawsuit against Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) Mar. 8. According to a "notice of voluntary dismissal" filed Monday in United States District Court (Central District, California, Western Division) by Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company (CDTIC), an agreement between the parties was reached Mar. 5 that apparently settles the...

The TOC Board unanimously elected Gary Fenton to serve as the new Chairman of the organization replacing outgoing Chairman Nick Alexander, who stepped down after five years in the role. Fenton has been on the TOC Board since 2016 and has served as Chairman of the TOC Racing Committee since 2018 and TOC Vice-Chairman since 2019. Fenton is the managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing (LRF), California's largest syndicate. He began his career as an entertainment attorney working for the William Morris Agency and media companies including ATG, Carsey-Werner,...

Stemming from the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the reduction of live racing, and California's statewide increases in workers compensation costs, Post Time Self Insurance will institute a 10% increase, paid by both owners and trainers, to offset the shortages of the horse industry's workers compensation program covering jockeys and backstretch workers. Owners and trainers fund the majority of program costs via per-stall charges from trainers and race per-start fees from owners. The owners' per-start fee will be raised from $149 to $162, effective Jan. 1, 2021....

Recently, TDN published a data set illustrating how the racing industry in California has undergone a dramatic shapeshift, both before and during the pandemic. New betting patterns have constituted a quarter-billion-dollar boon for the advance deposit wagering (ADW) industry at the expense of the California horsemen's purses. In a nutshell, as compared to a comparable period in 2018, the number of races this year has declined 30%. Although the overall handle has declined 18.8%, purses have dropped more than 26%. To discuss these findings, we spoke with Thoroughbred Owners of...

The Thoroughbred Owners of California announced that horse owners will be allowed on grounds for racing at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, beginning immediately. Owners must follow these guidelines on the grounds: Owners will be permitted one guest per owner. Owners will be permitted to watch only the race their horse is entered in. Owners must abide by the safety protocols of the Alameda County Fair (including wearing a face mask and social distancing). Owners will be restricted to access only the apron and paddock areas. The Alameda County Health Department...

The simulcasting stand-off between an arm of The Stronach Group (TSG) tasked with distributing the company's signal and the Arizona Department of Gaming has nearly reached the two-week mark, and the affected stakeholders are sending out mixed signals of their own as to its impact. The issue surrounds a state law passed last year requiring all simulcast providers that send their races into Arizona to offer the products uniformly among all tracks and all their Off-Track Betting parlors (OTB). On Jan. 24 of this year, the Arizona Racing Commission passed a...