In May 2014, John Harris, the noted California Thoroughbred owner and breeder, had a strong rooting interest in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Race favorite California Chrome was raised at Harris Farms in central California and ran to expectations in the nation’s biggest race, winning by more than a length. Understandably, the result was an emotional moment for Harris. “He got teary-eyed. He was so proud of the fact that his farm raised that horse,” Doug Burge, the president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association said on Thursday. “We walked away from that winner’s circle with roses off the blanket,” Burge said. “It was one of those days that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” Harris, whose farm was at the pinnacle of the sport in California, died on Thursday. Harris was 81 and had been in declining health in recent years. His death was announced by the farm late Thursday morning. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Harris was a leading Thoroughbred owner and breeder in California for decades and rose to a prominent leadership position in the sport in his home state and the nation. Born in Fresno, Harris was a fourth-generation farmer who operated the famous Harris Ranch in Coalinga, Calif., part of the family’s agri-business holdings that includes cattle, a massive feedlot, thousands of acres of cropland for fruits and vegetables, and a hotel and restaurant adjacent to Interstate-5. In Thoroughbred racing, the green and white diamond silks of Harris Farms, Inc., raced at venues throughout the state, winning some of the sport’s most prestigious races. John Harris was a teenager in the 1950s when his father Jack began buying Thoroughbreds. Harris worked on the backstretch as a teenager and had his first winner as an owner in 1961, the year he turned 18. In the decades that followed, Harris Farms would become synonymous with excellence in California racing, standing a large group of stallions at arguably the most widely-respected farm in the state. Harris employed several trainers simultaneously. Dean Pederson, based at Santa Anita, has had a small number of runners for Harris Farms for several years, including Thorne House, a winner at Santa Anita in April. “It’s a sad day and a day to be grateful,” Pederson said on Thursday in memory of Harris. “We’ve got to carry on and make him proud.” Off the track, Harris had extensive leadership roles in the sport, as a member of the Jockey Club since 1988, a past president of the CTBA, a member of the Breeders’ Cup’s board of directors, and as chairman of the California Horse Racing Board in 2004-2005 and again in 2009. Harris served on the racing board from 2000 to 2011. In 2023, the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation, a racing charity, honored Harris for his lifelong contribution to the sport. In a video tribute that accompanied the ceremony, Harris was recognized for his efforts on behalf of racing in political affairs, frequently working with the late state senator Ken Maddy, an avid racing supporter. Marie Moretti, a former member of the racing board and currently a member of the Del Mar board of directors, noted in the video that Harris worked tirelessly to forward racing’s causes in the state capital of Sacramento. “What I remember John doing most with Ken was working in the legislature,” Moretti said. “They were a formidable duo. Ken could enact the legislation and John was part of the strength behind the support for the legislation. He could speak to the benefits of the industry whether it was as a farmer, a major agri-business owner, and as an owner of horses and as a breeder of horses, especially when it came to the California-bred program.” In recent months, Harris and fellow California owner and breeder George Schmitt formed a group attempting to revive racing on the California fair circuit, including at the Big Fresno Fair where the Harris Farms Stakes has been run for statebreds in recent years. Proposals from Harris and Schmitt to finance race meetings at fairs in Ferndale, Pleasanton, and Fresno were defeated by the California Horse Racing Board three times in April, May and June. On the track, Harris did not win a Breeders’ Cup race, but his runners delivered two outstanding performances. In 1994 at Churchill Downs, Soviet Problem finished second to Cherokee Run in the BC Sprint. In 2010, the Harris-owned Unzip Me was third in the BC Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs. Soviet Problem, co-owned with the late Don Valpredo, won 15 of 20 starts and $905,416. She was the 1994 California Horse of the Year, and was honored that season as statebred champion older female, sprinter and turf horse. Soviet Problem won two match races at Golden Gate Fields and Del Mar in 1994. A decade later, Moscow Burning, bred by Harris Farms, was honored as statebred Horse of the Year. She was claimed from Harris for $25,000 and later won five stakes, including the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Handicap at Belmont Park in 2004. Harris raced other notable runners such as Alphabet Kisses, who won the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita in 2004; Work the Crowd, a 12-time stakes winner from 1993 to 1995 co-owned by Norma Foster Maddy; and Super High, a six-time stakes winner from 2002 to 2004 whose wins included the 2004 Work the Crowd Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. More recently, Harris bred and raced Closing Remarks, a five-time stakes winner from 2021 to 2023 who had her final start in early 2024 with career earnings of $1,000,820. Closing Remarks was the statebred champion 3-year-old filly of 2021 and older female of 2023. Her wins included the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita in 2023. Work the Crowd was honored with three statebred championships as the outstanding 2-year-old filly in 1993, 3-year-old filly of 1994 and turf horse of 1995. Harris Farms operation had a major presence in the state as a stallion station and home to hundreds of broodmares at the height of breeding season. This year, Harris Farms stood nine stallions. Three of them – Catholic Boy, Om, and Stanford – ranked among the top 10 stallions in the state by progeny earnings through Wednesday. Harris graduated from the University of California-Davis with a degree in agricultural production. Harris was honored as the 1989 Beef Cattle businessman of the year, and received recognition from farm bureaus for excellence in agricultural and for marketing beef products. Burge worked closely with Harris through the CTBA for the last 30 years. In recent months, Burge traveled from his home in Southern California to spend time with Harris. “I’ve been going up there to see him and sit with him for the last several months,” Burge said. “I was there a week ago. The last time I was there, I said, ‘I’ll see him in a few weeks to celebrate his birthday.’ Unfortunately, we didn’t get there.” Harris would have turned 82 on July 14. “He’s been more than a mentor,” Burge said. “He’s been a best friend. We traveled all over the country together, for races and horse sales. “He’s a legend.” According to a statement from Harris Farms, burial will be private. A public celebration of life is being planned. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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