California Thoroughbred Breeders Association

In an effort to stimulate the California breeding industry, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) unveiled several new breeding incentive programs Monday, highlighted by the 'Flagship Foal Incentive Program.' With the CTBA awarding $1,000 for each foal registered as a Cal-bred, the Flagship Foal Incentive Program begins with foals of 2027 at a cap of 25 foals per breeder. Payments will be made upon the CTBA receiving a Cal-bred application and the registration papers from the Jockey Club, due Dec. 31 of the foal's yearling year. In addition, the CTBA...

John C. Harris, one of California's most respected leaders in agriculture and Thoroughbred breeding, has passed away peacefully at the age of 81. Born July 14, 1943, Harris was a lifelong resident of Fresno County. He attended local elementary and high schools before earning his degree from UC Davis. He proudly served his country in the United States Army. Harris was a passionate farmer, rancher, and businessman who dedicated his life to stewarding the land and advancing California agriculture. As the driving force behind Harris Farms, one of the state's...

California-breds have long been the backbone of California racing. Since 2014, they've represented between 45% and 50% of all starters at Thoroughbred race meets in the state. Over half of all horses currently stabled in Southern California tracks are understood to be Cal-breds. A shrinking foal crop in the state, however, means that racing secretaries will have to rely on fewer of them than is currently the case over the next few years. Modeling performed for the TDN suggests there will be a combined 290 fewer Cal-bred runners competing in California...

California-breds have long been a staple of the state's racing product. Since 2014, CA-breds have represented between 45% and 50% of all starters at Thoroughbred race meets. Since the consolidation of racing in the south of the state, that trend has continued. From the start of the Santa Anita winter meeting through mid-March, Cal-breds made up about 47% of all individual starters, which includes both open races and those restricted to northern trainers. But with last year's foal crop (now yearlings) currently sitting at just below 1000 amid a breeding...

The two-day California Thoroughbred Breeders Association's 2025 Stallion Season Online Auction will start at 8:00 a.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 6, exclusively on www.Salering.net, the organization said in a press release on Friday, Jan. 3. Set to conclude at 8:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Jan. 7, the auction features seasons to 29 California stallions, including perennial leading Golden State sire Stay Thirsty. All seasons listed are being sold with no guarantee. The proceeds from the event benefit the CTBA's Political Action Committee Fund, which works in support of legislation to...

The catalog for the 2025 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Winter Mixed Sale is now online. The sale will be held Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 12 noon at Hinds Pavilion at Fairplex in Pomona. A total of 143 horses have been cataloged for the sale. Of that total, 25 are yearlings, 75 are 2-year-olds and 24 are pregnant mares. Online bidding will be available.

Don Valpredo. a longtime breeder and owner based in California, passed away Oct. 31 while on vacation overseas. He was 85. At one time or another, Valpredo was on the board of virtually every horse racing and breeding organization in California. From Bakersfield, California, he served as the chairman of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association from 2014 to 2016 and served three consecutive one-year terms from 1986 to 1988 and remained on the board of that organization at the time of his passing. Valpredo was inducted into the California Thoroughbred...

Seminars, horse demonstrations, stallion viewings, prize giveaways and networking opportunities headline an ambitious agenda for the 2023 Autumn Equine Fair at Milky Way Farm in Temecula, California from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. Participation in the event is free for current and prospective horse owners and breeders. Sponsored by the California Thoroughbred Farm Managers Association and California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the event will feature several 20-minute sessions led by professional speakers on a wide variety of topics, including horse health, feeding and nutrition, broodmare care, foal...

A son of Vronsky sold for $100,000 to top the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Northern California Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, which posted year-over-year result increases, the auction said in a release late Tuesday. With 114 yearlings sold, gross sales were $1,064,900 for an average of $9,260 and median price of $5,500. Last year, 105 yearlings sold for $871,100, an average of $8,296 and median price of $4,500. The average sales price for yearlings this year was 11.6 percent higher than last year. The sales topper, the first...

Grade I winner Fun to Dream (Arrogate) was crowned California-bred Horse of the Year at the CTBA Awards dinner held Monday night. The 4-year-old filly, who is out of the Maria's Mon mare Lutess, was bred by Connie Pageler and trainer Bob Baffert and is owned by Paegler and Natalie J. Baffert. The gray filly was also named Cal-bred champion 3-year-old filly and sprinter, and her dam was named Cal-bred broodmare of the year. "I did this, it was a crazy thing, I called Garrett O'Rourke at Juddmonte and I...

Last week, industry organizations announced the launch of the California Horse Power Coalition, a collaborative endeavor sold as something of a unified foghorn to extol the good word of the sport's economic and cultural impacts. The list of Coalition members reads like a who's who of California racing industry mainstays, including Del Mar, Santa Anita, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) and others. To discuss this new venture--along with a suite of other timely industry talking points--the TDN spoke with newly minted...

A Sir Prancealot colt brought $50,000 to top Wednesday's California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Northern California Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The colt, out of the Union Rags mare Root Beer Rag, was bred by Jeff Ganje, consigned by Checkmate Thoroughbreds and was purchased by Robert Jones of San Leandro. The highest-priced filly in the sale was by Vronsky, out of the Cyclotron mare Eden Mirelle, was bred by Ron Rand and Courtney Rand, consigned by Harris Farms, agent, and purchased by Andy Mathis...