California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation to provide cash aid to employees, trainers hurt by San Luis Rey Downs fire

CYPRESS, Calif. - The California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation is providing cash to 200 backstretch employees and 20 trainers affected by the wildfire that struck San Luis Rey Downs in San Diego County on Dec. 7.

At Thursday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting, CTHF executive director Cliff Goodrich said payments were scheduled to be made Friday to help with day-to-day living costs for backstretch employees and operating costs for trainers.

As of Thursday morning, approximately $650,000 had been raised via a GoFundMe account arranged by Santa Anita and Del Mar on behalf of people affected by the wildfire, which killed 46 horses.

Goodrich, a former president of Santa Anita in the 1990s, described the financial gifts provided by the public as “an unbelievable reaction. I think there are 6,000 donors.”

Goodrich said the CTHF has sought to act quickly to help those in need.

“We don’t feel we can wait,” he said. “Without GoFundMe such expediency would have been extremely difficult.”

At the same time, Goodrich told the racing board that his organization has hired legal counsel to ensure that the distributions are not in violation of the CTHF’s status as a non-profit 501(c)(3) and are in compliance with racing board and Internal Revenue Service regulations.

The topic of the Dec. 7 fire dominated the racing board’s brief meeting Thursday.

Goodrich is part of a five-person committee overseeing the distribution of funds from the GoFundMe account, along with racing board vice-chair Madeline Auerbach, Santa Anita marketing director Nate Newby, Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens, and Alan Balch, the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers association.

Auerbach stressed at Thursday’s meeting that the committee is operating independently of Santa Anita or Del Mar management, even though the committee includes two leading employees from those racetracks.

“The main objective is to get (money) into the hands of the people that need it the most,” she said.

Auerbach praised Goodrich and the CTHF for acting quickly following the fire.

“I don’t know what we would have done without you guys,” Auerbach said. “In an attempt to comply with the rules and regulations, you were the organization that stepped up.”

Tim Ritvo, the chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, said there is no specific timeline on reconstructing San Luis Rey Downs and said there are ongoing talks about adding stalls at Santa Anita.

Ritvo said in a telephone interview Wednesday that Santa Anita could add 500 to 700 stalls on property currently used as a parking lot north of the racetrack.

The current discussion about building stables, which has surfaced periodically since Frank Stronach bought Santa Anita in 1998, has led to some concern that San Luis Rey Downs will be discontinued as a training center.

“Moving forward there is a lot of talk for the future of the barns,” Ritvo told the racing board. “Where we rebuild those things is being discussed very seriously. There will be swift reaction to build barns at San Luis Rey Downs and Santa Anita. All of that is being figured out.”