California owners name 3 new members to fractured board
John Harris, Ty Green and Andy Mathis were named to be north-state representatives on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, according to a news release Wednesday, replacing three other members who bolted during the weekend.
Lindsay LaRoche, Ed Moger and Johnny Taboada resigned when, according to their letter posted Sunday by Thoroughbred Daily News, “it has become clear that the TOC under its current leadership does not represent the interest of Northern California owners.”
3 TOC members resign over racing dates in Calif.
The bulk of the TOC news release said:
“Harris, owner of Harris Farms, is a legendary figure in California racing as both an owner and breeder. He was inducted into the California Racing Hall of Fame in 2008 and was honored last year by the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation for his industry service. Harris Farms has been connected to over 50 California divisional champions, including eight California horses of the year. He is a former California Horse Racing Board commissioner and currently serves on the board of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
“Green is also an owner and breeder and is a current board member of the CTBA. He is a lawyer by profession based in San Luis Obispo and has raced under the name of SLO Racing Stable since 2010. He brings the unique prospective identifying as the ‘small owner and breeder’ that is the bedrock of California racing.
“Mathis, 44, was the 2021 California trainer of the year. He was also the leading trainer at the 2023 Golden Gate Fields fall meet and finished seventh in the standings during the 2022 Del Mar summer meet. He has won nearly 800 races in his career, including stakes winners Jimmy Blue Jeans and Give Me The Lute, and is based at Golden Gate Fields.”
The announcement of the remaking of the TOC board came one day before the CHRB’s January meeting in Sacramento, where the contentious issue of Northern California racing dates is scheduled to be discussed.
According to The TDN, LaRoche, Moger and Taboada were upset they were not in the loop when the TOC joined Southern California track operators in writing a letter that asked the CHRB to divvy up race dates for the next two years. TOC president Bill Nader insisted all board members indeed were told ahead of time about the letter.
That Jan. 5 letter outlined a plan to write a calendar that would move dates to Southern California from Golden Gate Fields, the Northern California track that the Stronach Group said it will close in June.