The New Year brings significant changes to California racing, with a single circuit largely consolidated in the South. Bill Nader, president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, discusses how redirecting simulcasting monies from the North could benefit tracks and purses in the South by $20 million annually. The closure of Golden State Racing and the struggle to fill races restricted to Northern California horses are key points of discussion.

Efforts are being made to cater to the Northern California horse population, with horses from Pleasanton entering races at Los Alamitos. Santa Anita has made adjustments to claiming race prices to accommodate Northern horses. Plans to introduce Historic Horse Racing machines at California tracks are in the early stages, with a soft launch potentially including forty machines at Santa Anita pending Tribal entity buy-in.

The focus is on improving the Santa Anita backstretch and ensuring sustainability for California breeders. The goal is to strengthen California racing by eliminating purse overpayments and increasing purse money. The hope is that by 2026, all three tracks in the South will be in a much better position, with a clearer picture of the feasibility of a secondary income stream from Historic Horse Racing machines. The future of Pleasanton stabling remains uncertain.