2003 Cal-bred News

Highlights of the
CTBA Board of Directors
May 14, 2003

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

Minutes of the April 9, 2003 meeting were unanimously approved.

General Manager’s Report:

Doug Burge announced that the inspection of horses for the sale to be held in Del Mar was complete and that the next step was to review the conformation and pedigree analysis of each individual ascertain the horses to be cataloged. The Sales Committee will meet immediately after the board meeting to discuss each yearling and determine which ones will be extended invitations to the sale.

Discussion took place regarding the Sunshine Millions. An extended contract is expected to be executed in the coming weeks. The CTBA will meet with TOC to address certain issues relating to the Millions.

The CTBA will form sub-committee, the Funding Committee, to review the fees and benefits associated with membership as well as the annual Stallion Registration.

Treasurer’s Report:

James Murphy, CFO, presented the March financial statements. No significant variances with budget were disclosed.

Sales Committee:
As mentioned in the General Manager’s report, the next major task in connection with the August sale in Del Mar is to decide which horses meet the strict criteria for acceptance to the sale. The board reviewed a sample “Del Mar Buyers Guide” that CTBA will make available to distribute to potential buyers at the up coming sale.

Education Committee
Chris McCarron has been secured as the guest speaker for the September Harris Ranch Seminar. This year’s title is “Foal Management – Straight Talk About Serious Issues”.

The Groom Elite Program at the track, a program that is financially supported by the CTBA and other racing entities, was a big success, with a graduation rate of 63 out of 80 initial registered participants. Both participants and trainers recognize that the program is highly beneficial. There was discussion that a Farm Worker Elite program would be equally beneficial, as farms have limited ability to provide formal training to many of its workers.

Racing Committee:

Gold Rush at Hollywood Park was a success. Field size and handle were up. In fact, the total handle of over $17 million was a record for the four-year event.

Cal Cup will be November 8, two weeks after Breeders Cup. The committee is considering a cash giveaway at the end of each of the ten races. The theme of Cal Cup this year will be California Hero’s to celebrate top California bred horses of prior years.

Legislation Committee:

Doug Burge reported that Federal legislation amending the Internet Gaming Act (HR21), which would eliminate the horse racing exemption, had passed by one vote in the House Judiciary Committee. A second piece of legislation (HR2143), however, was marked up by the House Financial Services Committee and reported favorably to the House of Representatives. This version includes the two provisions that the horse industry supported in the original HR21 bill. This latest bill is ready for floor action pending approval by House leadership.

Website:

Joan Rogers reported that a schedule had been established to review the web site on a periodic basis to ensure that stale material did not accumulate.

The placement of advertising in the Newsletter was nearing fruition.

The Nurse Mare section of the web site was reported by Leigh Ann Howard to be receiving consistent traffic. Discussion ensued about how the need is being approached by others throughout the country.

Membership:

Pat Hurley informed the Board that a letter is scheduled to be sent in July to members to recruit new members, in the form of an “Ask a Friend” letter.

Pat then led a discussion of the benefits of membership and ascertained that the benefits should be written, so that everyone would know the benefits, and that it could be handed out by CTBA Directors when inquiries are made.

Other Business:

The Board held general discussion of advertising by the DRF of Internet Gaming Sites that are located outside of the Country. Such activity is illegal in certain jurisdictions, the State of California being one of them. The CTBA along with many California farms, are very supportive of the Daily Racing Form through annual advertising and had expressed to them our concerns with the placement of these “illegal ads”, that are obviously harmful to racing. The DRF has informed the industry that it will make note of the legality of such operations in its advertising by placing a disclaimer in these ads.

A discussion on the industry support of horse retirement facilities was held. It was observed that there is a lack of reliable statistical data on the actual future of thoroughbreds that are no longer competitive at the track. The CTBA supports such a study project, which will assist in a better understanding of the issue.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 pm.