Report: California racing board denies Humboldt County dates

The California Horse Racing Board voted Thursday to deny a request for a race meet at Humboldt County Fair this summer.

The 4-3 vote against a Ferndale meet followed a 3-2 vote against the request in April. A definitive decision from the board requires at least four votes, hence the matter coming back at May's meeting. The meeting and the vote were reported by Dylan McNeill of the Times-Standard, based in Eureka, California.

Humbolt County Fair had requested seven race dates for 2025: Saturdays and Sundays between Aug. 16 and Aug. 31, as well as a closing day on Labor Day, Sept. 1. The fair also requested nine days of simulcasting, the Wednesday though Friday before each live racing weekend.

In its application for dates, Humboldt County Fair argued that its racing was self-sustaining. According to a section of the dates application arguing for its financial viability, HCF said that in a three-week meet without overlap, it generated $353,000 in underpayment of purses, enough to outweigh the overpayment at other fair venues. The application for dates also emphasized the support of prominent members of the racing community and local community including a letter from television personality Guy Fieri, a Ferndale native.

Bill Nader, president and CEO of Thoroughbred Owners of California, argued that the underperforming Golden State Racing meet at Pleasanton last year showed that there was not enough of a market for Northern California racing to sustain it. Nader also pointed out that Southern California racetracks paid $600,000 to assist the California Association of Racing Fairs andd the Alameda County Fair.

Representatives of Humboldt County Fair and Bernal Park Racing asked for another CHRB meeting in 10 days to discuss a summer meet in Ferndale further, though the CHRB refused to schedule a special meeting for that.