Photo: California Racing Fair Association
The California Horse Racing Commission voted Thursday to deny requests for a race competition at the Humboldt County Fair this summer.
4-3 votes are a Ferndale The tournament follows a 3-2 vote against the April request. A decisive decision from the board requires at least four votes, so the issue of returning at the May meeting is necessary. The meeting and vote were reported by Dylan McNeill of Times Standard, based in Eureka, California.
The Humboldt County Fair had requested seven race dates in 2025. Saturdays and Sundays are closed on August 16th to August 31st and on Labor Day, September 1st.
In the application dated, Humboldt County Fair claimed the race was independent. According to a section of the Date Application, which claims financial viability, the HCF said it generated $353,000 in a purse overpayment sufficient to outweigh the overpayments at other fair venues in a three-week meeting without duplicates. The dated application also highlighted the support of prominent members of the racing and local communities, including a letter from the television personality Gaifieri, from Ferndale.
Bill Nader, president and CEO of California Thoroughbred Owner, argued last year’s low-performing Golden State Race competition in Pleasanton showed that Northern California races were not enough to keep it up. Nader also pointed out that Southern California racetracks have paid $600,000 to support the California Race Fair Association and the Alameda County Fair.
Representatives from the Humboldt County Fair and Vernal Park Races called for another CHRB meeting over the course of 10 days to discuss the summer event in Ferndale, but the CHRB rejected a special meeting schedule for that.
