Horse racing at the Humboldt County Fair. | Photo: Redwood Coast, via Flickr. Creative Commons license.

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PREVIOUSLY

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The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Thursday narrowly rejected a last-ditch effort by the Humboldt County Fair Association (HCFA) to keep horse racing alive in Ferndale, voting 4-3 to deny a proposal for three consecutive race weekends this October, citing concerns over limited resources and the financial viability of horse racing in Northern California. 

The decision comes one month after the board turned down the HCFA’s request to hold races at the Humboldt County Fair in August, ending a 128-year tradition of horse racing at the fair. 

The CHRB also rejected a proposal from the Fresno County Fair to host seven days of horse racing between Sept. 19 and Oct. 1.

California’s horse racing industry has struggled to stay afloat in recent years amid significant financial losses, dwindling attendance, competition from online sports gambling and increasing concern over animal welfare. Earlier this year, the California Exposition and State Fair Board announced that there would be no horse racing at the California State Fair in 2025. Several other Northern California counties and cities have followed suit. 

At Thursday’s meeting, the CHRB expressed concern about HCFA’s partnership with Bernal Racing Park, LLC, a newly founded entity financed by racehorse owner George Schmitt and owner/breeder John Harris to replace the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF), which folded late last year.

George Schmitt, managing partner for Bernal Park Racing, LLC, acknowledged the board’s concerns about “proper management,” but offered assurance that the outfit “has the financial support to take care of all the requirements up front.”

“If the [Ferndale and Fresno] fairs don’t make enough money to pay us back what we [gave] them to run their fairs, then we’ll take a loss,” he continued. “The state of California is no longer on the hook for any losses.”

A letter from HCFA Chief Executive Officer Moira Kenny attempted to reassure the board that the Humboldt County Fair can “self-sustain,” noting that the 2024 meet generated $900,000 in commissions.

“The Humboldt meet generated enough purse money to wipe out the overpayment from other fair venues,” Kenny wrote. “In 2025, that established record will enable Humboldt to offer even higher purses and entice additional horses to participate in its three-week meet.”

HCFA Vice-President Greg Gomes emphasized the significance of horse racing in Ferndale, adding that the organization has the support of the greater Humboldt County community and the horse racing industry. 

“We’re just asking for a chance to run, to build upon something for 2026,” Gomes said. “We’re just asking for a chance.”

Speaking during the public comment porting of yesterday’s meeting, Humboldt County First District Supervisor Rex Bohn read a portion of the CHRB’s mission statement, which aims to “ensure the integrity, viability, and safety of the California horse racing industry by … promoting horse racing, breeding, and wagering opportunities, and fostering safe racing through the development and enforcement of track safety standards and regulations for the health and welfare of all participants.”

“Cutting these opportunities doesn’t fill the bill on any of those,” Bohn said. “I know you have a tough deal, but it says you’re supposed to promote horse racing for the whole state. We’re up in the north. We’re forgotten. … I hear all the reasons why we can’t do this … but there isn’t any reason not to do this.”

The board maintained that it had not forgotten about Northern California, with CHRB member Thomas Hudnut noting that the problem stretches across the state. “We, at the moment, have a problem with the viability of horse racing in this state, regardless of where it is,” he said. “In the final analysis, it’s not about horses. Unfortunately, it’s about money.”

The board ultimately voted 4-3 to reject both proposals.

Reached for additional comment this morning, Kenny told the Outpost that the CHRB vote presents “a lot of uncertainties” for the future of the Humboldt County Fair.

“With no horse racing, there are a lot of concerns around whether our sponsors are going to be willing to support us in the same way that they have in the past,” she continued. “Our sponsors are amazing, and they do everything that they can to help make this an amazing event, but there is still a lot of uncertainty. … I’m typically a very optimistic person, but I am absolutely concerned about what this year is going to look like.”

The HCFA has been looking for other attractions and events to replace horse racing at this year’s fair. A couple of weeks back, they held a town hall meeting to gather ideas, which ranged from tractor pulls to “grand-scale” concerts to kinetic sculpture races. 

“There were so many great ideas that came out of that discussion,” Kenny said. “On the last Sunday of the fair, we’re going to produce a tractor pull. We’re also in conversation with a Mexican bull-riding event, which was already in the works before the meeting. We also have a live music lineup featuring Brett McFarland and the Freedom Riders and plans to extend Kids Day at the fair. We are doing our very best to provide activities to fill up the grandstands.”

The HCFA is also looking for volunteers. If you’re interested in donating your time, check out the Humboldt County Fair website — linked here — or give ‘em a call at 707-786-9511.