A group of horsemen in California has formed a new organization whose goal is to become the official representative of horsemen in the state.
The California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association was officially announced in a March 28 release. It says its objective is to “unify the horsemen into one powerful, cohesive, transparent, and pro-active unit,” and that it will move to have the current representative—the Thoroughbred Owners of California—decertified.
Original principals of the CTHA are J.F. Ernenwein, Gloria Haley, Mike Harrington, Aase Headley, Roger Licht, Henry Moreno, John Sadler, George Schmitt, Cory Wellman, and David Wilson.
The CTHA in its release took to task the TOC, representatives of which couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
“The industry knows that change is needed,” Licht said in a statement. “The CTHA is committed to providing leadership that recognizes its fiduciary responsibility, as well as engaging the entire racing community in strategic long-term approaches aimed toward resurrecting California horse racing.”
The release makes no mention of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, which also has sought a larger voice in racing in the state. California law permits only one organization to be the horsemen’s official representative in matter such as contract negotiations.
