Cost of Freedom On His Way to Retirement
Grade I winner Cost of Freedom, claimed for $8,000 at Betfair Hollywood Park Dec. 21, appears headed for retirement as he nears the ripe old age of 11.
John Harris
News, Articles, Videos and other content about John Harris
Harris, Lear, Polk New Jockey Club Stewards
John C. Harris, William M. Lear Jr., and Dr. Hiram C. Polk Jr. have been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, filling the expired positions of James C. Brady, William S. Farish, and Richard T. Santulli.
Gaines Handed 30-Day Ban in Testosterone Case
Trainer Carla Gaines has until Aug. 1 to appeal a 30-day suspension and $2,500 fine adopted by the California Horse Racing Board as a result of two of her 2012 starters testing in excess of accepted levels of testosterone.
Trainer Gaines Named in Two CHRB Complaints
Trainer Carla Gaines is the subject of two complaints from the California Horse Racing Board alleging that two fillies in her care both tested positive for levels of testosterone in excess of the authorized amount.
John Harris to Receive 2012 Pincay Award
California horse owner and breeder John Harris will be presented the ninth annual Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award during the Hollywood Gold Cup program July 7 at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Thorn Song's First Foal Delivered at Harris
Dual grade I winner Thorn Song was represented by his first foal at John Harris' farm near Coalinga, Calif., on March 5.
Harris Warns of Terror Danger After Arson Hit
California Thoroughbred owner and breeder John Harris, whose cattle farm trucking center was attacked by animal rights activists Jan. 8, warns that the group responsible could also pose a threat to horse operations.
Harris Leaves California Horse Racing Board
John Harris has left the California Racing Board after a tenure of nearly 11 years in which he served as chairman on two occasions.
California Standout Soviet Problem Euthanized
Soviet Problem, 1994 California Horse of the Year and Breeders Cup Sprint (gr. I) runner-up, has been euthanized due to the infirmities of old age at John Harris' farm near Coalinga, Calif.
CHRB OKs Lower Bute Level, Claiming Rule
A reduction in the allowable level of the common pain reliever phenylbutazone in post-race tests was approved on a split vote by the California Horse Racing Board July 21 over the objections of horsemen.
Champion Brown Bess Dies
Suzanne Pashayan's Brown Bess, the 1989 champion grass mare, was euthanized July 15 because of complications from colic.
California Racing Execs Address Online Gaming
As California eyes potential revenue from Internet gaming, horse racing executives made it clear to a state senate committee in Sacramento July 12 they want to be part of any legislation that may result.
CHRB Approves Random Drug Testing for Jockeys
Random drug testing of jockeys and harness drivers is set to begin in California after the state horse racing board gave final approval to the rule at its May 26 meeting at Golden Gate Fields.
CHRB Takes Action On Equine Safety Measures
The California Horse Racing Board took a swing at a number of equine safety measures during its April 28 meeting at Hollywood Park, including another try at a rule to void a claim of a horse that suffers a fatality.
Thorn Song to Stand at Harris Farms
Thorn Song, who underwent stem cell therapy after developing laminitis, will enter stud at John C. Harris' Harris Farms near Coalinga, Calif.
Unzip Me Buttons Up Monrovia Hillside Rivals
When it comes to Santa Anita's hillside turf course, it seems there is no getting by Unzip Me, who turned back a couple of challengers in the lane to win the $100,000 Monrovia Stakes (gr. IIIT) under threatening skies Jan. 2.
Unzip Me Rolls Again in Oak Tree Opener
Leading virtually throughout, favored Unzip Me prevailed in the $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Handicap (gr. IIIT) on opening night of the inaugural Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meet Sept. 30.
Brackpool Featured Speaker at CTBA Seminar
Keith Brackpool, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, will be the featured speaker at the Harris Ranch Seminar, which returns this year from a one-year hiatus with the theme, "Marketing the Thoroughbred."
California Stallion High Brite Euthanized
High Brite, the sire of 33 stakes winners, was euthanized July 17 at John Harris' Harris Farms in Coalinga, California due to the infirmities of age.
Oak Tree to Remain at Santa Anita in 2010
The Oak Tree Racing Association will be allowed to use Santa Anita Park for its autumn racing meeting after Frank Stronach relented at the conclusion of a long California Horse Racing Board meeting June 22 at Hollywood Park.
Cost of Freedom Tops M One Rifle at Hollywood
In a battle of grade I winning sprinters at Hollywood Park May 6, Cost of Freedom led all the way to upset 7-10 choice M One Rifle in a $61,100 optional claiming allowance event.
CHRB Seeks to Reverse Decline at Satellites
Seeing many former customers preferring to stay home, the California Horse Racing Board wants to woo fans back to the state's simulcast centers.
Northern California Fair Dates Resolved
The California Horse Racing Board finally gave approval to a Northern California fair racing dates program for 2010 during its meeting at Santa Anita Park Jan. 15, though not everyone was happy with the much-delayed action.
Brackpool Replaces Harris as CHRB Chairman
John Harris, a member of the California Horse Racing Board since 2000, announced he is ending his second stint as the board's chairman and will be leaving the regulatory agency in the next couple of months.
Board Backtracks on Calif. Claim Rule Change
Backtracking on a rule amendment that one observer said "would fundamentally change the claiming game," the California Horse Racing Board tabled a proposal that would have voided a claim if the horse that was bought, due to injury or distress, was unable to return to the designated unsaddling area after the finish of the race.
CHRB Wrestles With Changes to Fair Circuit
Racing at California fairs, long supported as one of the best ways to attract new fans for the sport, is losing out to economic considerations while industry representatives fight to remain viable in the northern half of the state.
Inside Track: Helpful Hauler
Steve Hiatt never thought he would win an award for doing the thing he enjoys more than anything else in the world-helping horses.
CHRB Allocates Most Race Dates for 2010
Race dates for 2010 were approved for California by the state's horse racing board at its meeting Oct. 15, although the panel opted to wait until next month before giving authorization to the Northern California fair circuit, which requested more time to sort out details.
Voiding Claims Possible Under CHRB Proposal
Claiming a horse would no longer be a blanket "buyer beware" scenario under a rule amendment approved for a 45-day public comment period by the California Horse Racing Board Oct. 15.
Joey Franco Sires First Winner
Grade I winner Joey Franco came up with his first winner when his daughter Warm Hands won June 14 at Golden Gate Fields.
Scientific Games Still Reviewing Calif. Error
Scientific Games Racing has not determined the cause of a system glitch that caused its "stop betting" order on the Los Angeles Handicap (gr. III) at Hollywood Park May 16 to go unheeded at 33 off-track wagering locations, a company representative told the California Horse Racing Board.
CHRB OKs Further Cuts in Hollywood Dates
In a sign of how the tightening economy has affected tracks in the state, the California Horse Racing Board acquiesced to a request from Hollywood Park to eliminate the final five Wednesdays of the current spring/summer meet, which runs through July 19.
CHRB Seeks Explanation of Past Posting Error
The California Horse Racing Board is investigating the cause of a wagering glitch during the running of the Los Angeles Handicap (gr. III) May 16 at Hollywood Park in which betting at 33 simulcast spots did not close until after the race was completed.
Board Approves Del Mar's Cutback in Race Days
The California Horse Racing Board gave its blessing to a Del Mar Thoroughbred Club request reducing the track's 2009 racing schedule by one day per week.
Last Year for Hollywood? Not So Fast
Historic Hollywood Park, under the eminent threat of redevelopment, opens for its 70th and possibly final spring/summer racing season on April 22. Some say now is not the time.
Grade III Winner Lucky J.H. Retired
Lucky J.H., a graded stakes winner of 8 of 20 starts, with earnings of $632,065, has been retired to the place of his birth, his owner/breeder John Harris's Harris Farm near Coalinga, Calif.
CHRB In Pickle Over Claiming Lawsuit
Hoping to avert what one racing secretary called "open season" on the horse population in the state, the California Horse Racing Board took the unusual step of contacting a litigant who has put the board in a tenuous situation over a claiming rule.
Hollywood Park to Race Through 2009
The California Horse Racing Board got a bit of good news March 19 when the president of Hollywood Park assured commissioners that it would run its 2009 fall/winter meet as planned. The board also received an update on bankruptcy developments from Magna Entertainment Corp.
Magna Rep Gives Assurances to CHRB
A representative from the Magna Entertainment Corp. assured the California Horse Racing Board March 6 that the company "is not going out of business" in spite of its bankruptcy petition and that horsemen purse accounts and customer winnings will be paid on an ongoing basis.
CHRB Moves to Rescind Anti-Rebate Stance
Rebates to wagering customers have become so widespread that the California Horse Racing Board is preparing to rescind its rule against the practice.
Shapiro Reflects on CHRB Tenure, Racing
As a member of the California Horse Racing Board for four years, Richard Shapiro could hardly be described as a weak bystander in overseeing the sport. But Shapiro said he was "becoming increasingly frustrated by the governmental and bureaucratic limitations imposed by being on the board."
CHRB OKs One-Year ADW License Renewals
With little discussion, the California Horse Racing Board unanimously approved license renewals for four advance deposit wagering companies doing business in the state for a one-year period.
Shapiro Steps Down as CHRB Chairman
California Horse Racing Board chairman Richard Shapiro announced his resignation Dec. 15 during a meeting of the board at Santa Anita Park.
California Racing Dates Approved for '09
Golden Gate Fields will host a total of 181 days in 2009, including 29 during the summer on behalf of the California Authority of Racing Fairs, under a dates allocation plan approved by the California Horse Racing Board Nov. 18.
CHRB Pushes for Action in ADW Standoff
In a high-stakes "game of chicken," the California Horse Racing Board pushed account wagering a little closer to the edge Nov. 18 when it declined to renew the licenses of the state's four Internet and telephone bet companies.
CHRB Committee Examines TCO2 Strategy
Testing for bicarbonate levels has nearly eliminated the incidence of "milkshaking" Thoroughbred racehorses in California, leading officials to consider alternatives to testing every horse that is entered at the state's tracks.
'Ticked Off' Shapiro Rips Slow Response
Industry stakeholders received a tongue-lashing from Richard Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, as the agency took its first swipe at a race dates calendar for 2009.
Calif. Horseman Found in Contempt, Fined
California horse owner Michael Power was found in contempt and fined for making several false and defamatory statements about John Harris, a director for the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association.
CHRB Steps Up Steroid Rule Enforcement
The California Horse Racing Board announced it is stepping up enforcement of its medication rules with increased pre-race and out-of-competition testing and by prohibiting horses from running for 30 days after they've been administered anabolic steroids,effective Aug. 22.
Santa Anita Track Nearly Ready to Test
With the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita less than 10 weeks away, track president Ron Charles told the California Horse Racing Board that its new synthetic racing surface is nearly ready for the acid test.
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