Thoroughbred Owners of California elects 7 new board members

The Thoroughbred Owners of California will have seven new members on its 15-person board following an election held in late winter, the organization announced on Friday.

Incumbent board members Madeline Auerbach, Bob Baffert, Dennis Cardoza, Mark Dedomenico, Ed Moger, Jack Owens, Mike Pegram, and Pablo Suarez will be joined by newly elected members Mike Harrington, George Krikorian, Ron McAnally, John Sadler, George Todaro, Kathy Walsh and Mike Wellman.

There were 30 names on the ballot –10 nominated by the TOC, 14 nominated by the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, and six included after submitting petitions with 50 signatures.

The TOC is the state’s official representative for Thoroughbred horsemen. The CTHA was formed last year with the intent of gaining greater representation on the TOC’s board of directors for owner-trainers. Six board members fit that category – Baffert, Harrington, McAnally, Moger, Sadler, and Walsh.

In a statement, the TOC said that 30 percent of the ballots mailed out were returned.

Pegram, the current chairman of the TOC, received the most votes of any candidate, 1,352. The next five vote-getters were owner-trainers – Walsh, Sadler, Baffert, Moger and McAnally. Owner-trainers Jim Cassidy and Gloria Haley ranked outside the first six in the owner-trainer category, and were excluded from the board even though they had more votes than some owners who were elected.

Of the 10 candidates nominated by the TOC, incumbents Pete Parrella and Keith Pronske did not receive sufficient votes. Wellman was the only successful candidate who submitted a petition.

The first five board members will serve three-year terms, the sixth through 10th will have two-year terms, while the remaining five will serve one year. The new board will meet for the first time in April.