HIGHLIGHTS OF THE  CTBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

MARCH 6, 2002, ARCADIA, CA

Directors Present:

John Barr

Clydene Boots

Jeanne Canty

Keith Card

Wes Fitzpatrick

Gail Gregson

John Harris

Leigh Ann Howard

Pat Hurley

Trudy McCaffery

Dan Schiffer

Present by Telephone:

Suzanne Pashayan

Joan Rogers

Not Present:

Dan Harralson

Dennis Meagher

Scoop Vessels

Also Present:

Doug Burge

Jim Murphy

The meeting was called to order at 10:05 am. The president announced that a quorum was present.

January/February Minutes: Approved with following corrections: the meeting date was January 30, not the 29th, and Dan Harralson was present.

Officers elected for 2002:

Wes Fitzpatrick, President

Dan Schiffer, Vice President

Scoop Vessels, Vice President

John Barr, Treasurer

Joan Rogers, Secretary

A motion was passed that any ex-president of the CTBA who is currently serving on the board shall be a member of the Executive Committee, which consists of all association officers.

Committee Chairpeople for 2002

John Barr, Racing

Leigh Ann Howard, Education

Trudy McCaffery, Magazine and Publicity

John Barr, Industry Liaison (Trudy McCaffery may also work in this position)

Joan Rogers, Website/Internet

Scoop Vessels, Sales

John Harris, Legislative

John Barr, Audit

Keith Card, Cal Cup

Clydene Boots, Membership 

Jeanne Canty, California TB Foundation



President’s Discussion:

The board discussed the recent proposal by Don Engel that the industry provide some sort of legislatively mandated fund for the maintenance of retired race horses. The board felt that most of us have long committed our resources to caring for such horses, and that many other members donate funds to organizations that do so. The president formed a new committee, headed by Clydene Boots, to determine the scope of the problem, learn what vehicles exist today for the care and maintenance of retired race horses, investigate existing outplacement options, and determine how other organizations are addressing the issue.



General Manager’s Report:

Breeders’ award checks will be mailed by March 15, and stallion awards by March 22. 

Breeders’ awards totaled nearly $8.2 million, reflecting a 15.6% dividend on all eligible earnings. Stallion awards totaled over $2.7 million, for a 12.7% dividend.


A brief discussion took place regarding Advance Deposit Wagering, including a description of the fees negotiated between TOC and the various providers and an analysis of the effects of the negotiated amounts on Incentive Award Revenues, given the risk of cannibalization.

The Great State Challenge is progressing in its planning. Details including the selection process, deadlines for submission of a preliminary list of horses representing the eight guaranteed states, shipping allowances, and marketing the event have been resolved. The $1.5 million Challenge is set for December 7, 2002, at Sam Houston Race Park.

Much positive feedback was received about the Annual Meeting in Berkeley and the luncheon and day at the races at Golden Gate Fields. The Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting were both well attended. Northern California members appreciated the Northern California venue.

The 2002 budget that was presented at the January board of directors meeting was approved. As in the past, it is a flexible budget that will permit adjustments as necessary. The budget will contain a separate account for website expenses, so that we can track the costs and revenues of this service. It was noted that website advertising revenues have increased, and while they are far below the costs of staffing and maintaining the site, it was felt that the website is a valuable communications tool of the organization. 



Treasurer’s Report:

For the first month of the year, the Association is operating within budget. The foal registrations were down in January, but it was noted that this deficit was offset by the increase in nominations for February.

Sales Report:

Both the number and the quality of Del Mar nominations are up. 477 yearlings have been nominated to date, and nearly 75 more are said to be in the mail with a timely postmark. 435 (91%) of the nominees are Cal-Breds, and 32 are Kentucky breds. Any owners whose nominees are deemed unacceptable on pedigree alone will be notified around March 15. Inspections are scheduled to begin in Central California the first week of April, in Northern California the second week of April, and in Southern California the third week of April. It is our goal to provide the final acceptance/rejection notifications prior to May 1, which is the deadline for Keeneland September entries. Richard Matlow will be the lead inspector; Tom Bunn will inspect more remotely located nominees.

Racing:

The committee is working on sponsorships for Cal Cup.

Legislative:

The major legislation at this time is the Cal-Bred Flexibility Bill. This bill will allow further discretion by the CTBA in the allocation of funds for the betterment of the Cal-Bred program. Specifically, it would permit a shift in Cal-Bred stakes dollars to races featuring Cal-Breds, such as the Sunshine Millions and the Great State Challenge.

This is a very tight budget year in Sacramento, and it behooves our industry to be low-key and modest in our expectations. We do need to be alert that racing is not looked at as a source for new tax revenues or fees.

Website/Internet:

Website enhancements have increased viewership. It is necessary to measure and evaluate usage in an ongoing way, both to promote the site to advertisers and to determine to what extent the association should subsidize the site. Increase in function and information has increased the amount of time our outside contractor spends to maintain the site, and his fees have increased. In addition, as the number of advertisers has increased, the management of available ad real estate on the site has become an issue, and the placement of ads and the flashing algorithm are being reviewed.

Magazine: 

There is broad agreement that the magazine is vastly improved from where it was a few years ago, and is representing our association in a very favorable way, as well as providing readers with a wealth of useful and informative material.

Education:

The Harris Farms Seminar, entitled "Dreams, Reality, and the Marketplace," is in the planning stages, and we are working on the speaker list. 

We are working with Chris Korby of the California Racing Fairs to provide a simple display on our industry to travel to each racing fair. This display will be based on an earlier display that we prepared, entitled, "Breeding, Raising, Training = Racing." It is our plan to update this concept and provide panels that can be put up near the entry to the grandstands as a means of educating fair attendees about our industry.

Chris Korby has asked to borrow a retired race horse to have on display for limited periods of high attendance. He especially wants a horse that people and children can pet. We are hopeful that local breeders will come forth with the right horses for this opportunity.

A farrier demonstration is another possibility as a fair showcase.

Foundation:

The California Thoroughbred Foundation is sponsoring a seminar entitled, "Modern Veterinary Medicine and Your Race Horse," on March 16 in the CTBA Library. Those interested in more information should contact the TOC office.

The April Board Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 18.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:40 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan M. Rogers

Board Secretary