Thoroughbred Owners of California

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...

The Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) unanimously named Tim Cohen to fill the board vacancy created by the recent resignation of Mike Harrington. Per the bylaws, Cohen will be required to run in the 2023 board election. Cohen, owner of Rancho Temescal, runs under Rancho Temescal LLC, often in partnership with his father, Jed Cohen's, Red Baron's Barn LLC. Prior to managing Rancho Temescal, Cohen worked in the hospitality industry, managing luxury hotels and restaurants. "I look forward to joining the Board and further the...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority will be implementing changes to HISA Rule 2276, which pertains to full outer rim shoes and toe grabs. The rule will not be enforced for horses racing on dirt that are shod with traction devices on their hind feet in the form of either a full outer rim shoe or a toe grab, both up to 4mm in height. All other provisions of the rule will remain the same and be enforced Aug. 1 as previously announced. Click here to read the full HISA...

Edited Press Release The Thoroughbred Horsemen's Associations, Inc, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Thoroughbred Owners of California, and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association collectively have established a diverse group of experienced horsemen, regulators, and veterinarians to review the extensive documents regarding HISA's proposed rules. Each reviewer provided written comments in an open letter to HISA and they are summarized below. Racetrack vs Training Facilities--The inclusion of training facilities in the statute was designed to ensure that horsemen could not evade the requirements for racetracks by stabling at training facilities. HISA needs to...

As a well-respected industry veteran of several decades coming off an immensely successful run as an executive with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Bill Nader could likely write his own ticket for most jobs in the industry. It was recently announced that after 15 years in Hong Kong, Nader would be coming home to America and become the new president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. Tuesday, Nader joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about why...

Bill Nader, who current serves as an executive with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and will soon take on the role of President and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to share his experiences with Japanese racing and talk about how he hopes to improve upon racing in California.

Bill Nader has agreed to join the Thoroughbred Owners of California as President and Chief Executive Officer, the organization announced today. Nader's appointment will take effect in October of this year. He succeeds Greg Avioli who resigned earlier this year. Nader, 64, joins the TOC from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), where he has held senior executive positions since 2007. Prior to that, Nader was the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the New York Racing Association, where he was employed from 1994-2007. "Given his experience both...

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...

Del Mar will offer its richest "Ship and Win" bonus when the program, designed to encourage out-of-state horses to compete in California, returns for its 12th year at the oceanside oval's summer meeting. This year's program offers a $5,000 starter bonus and a 50% purse supplement for any dirt runner. Turf horses earn a $4,000 starter fee and a 40% purse bonus. The purse bonuses extend to additional starts at the summer meet and are designed to increase all purses won by first through fifth finishers. Further, should a 'S...

The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) have announced the winners of its 2021 statistical awards for owners in the state. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC was the leading owner by purse earnings in 2021, amassing $2,479,544, with 36 wins from 246 runners, topped by the likes of GII Los Alamitos Futurity hero Slow Down Andy (Nyquist) and Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist), a debut winner and a nose second in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. last season. Tommy Town Thoroughbreds was the leading owner by number of California wins and starts...

California's purse and handle numbers are in, and after the pandemic-stricken figures of last year, there's plenty of reason for encouragement. A 13% increase in California races over 2020 translated into a 17% increase in all source handle and a 19% increase in purse generation. "Handle is up everywhere, including Southern California, which generated really nice purses for us in 2021," said Gary Fenton, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). "It's created this momentum for us," Fenton said, pointing to the purse enhancements offered by Santa Anita and...

September was a busy month for buzzers. On Sept. 15, the Monmouth Park board of stewards suspended jockey Tomas Mejia for 10 years and fined him $5,000 for possessing an electrical device--commonly referred to as a "buzzer"--during a race run there Sept. 3. That same day at Indiana Grand, leading Quarter Horse jockey, Sammy Mendez, was "summarily suspended for actions not in the best interest of racing," and is awaiting a full hearing before the track's board of stewards. According to the Paulick Report, the suspension is connected to use...