Consequences of the 2025 closure of Harris Farms in Coalinga, Calif., as a commercial breeding facility will not be fully known for a few years, but some clues will surface for the state’s breeding industry in coming months. By any measure, the 330-acre farm’s closure is a loss, but it also is an opportunity for other farms to gain a greater role in the region. Harris Farms, centrally located, stood nine stallions in 2025 who were bred to 187 mares, or 14.4 percent of the 1,291 bred in the state, according to The Jockey Club’s report of mares bred. The farm was run by John Harris, who died in July after a lengthy illness. Following his passing, farm officials said the property would no longer stand stallions or board mares. A reduction of racing and breeding holdings was held in August. Replacing that operation will be impossible, according to three prominent farm owners in the state. “It’s a significant blow to the whole industry,” said Tom Clark, owner of Rancho San Miguel. “Mr. Harris was a leader in California. He donated his time and his money to keep the industry going in the state. His leadership will be missed.” A majority of the nine stallions that stood at Harris Farms last year have been relocated across the state. Eight Rings and Uptown Rythem have moved to Rancho San Miguel, while Acclamation and Catholic Boy are now at Hanson’s River Ranch. Om and Tamarando will stand at Legacy Ranch, while Halladay will be based at Checkmate Thoroughbreds. Stanford was moved to Eclipse Thoroughbred Farm. Finding a sufficient number of mares for those stallions will be a challenge, Clark said. Overall, Clark expects a busy 2026 breeding season. Rancho San Miguel also has added the former Kentucky-based stallion Collected, in partnership with Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud in Kentucky and Marsha Naify, a prominent California-based owner and trainer. Clark said the syndicate that owns Collected intends to support the stallion on the West Coast. “They’re trying to show their support for California,” he said. “It’s important to be very clear that Airdrie is not giving up on this horse. We talked to several syndicate members and not one would sell us any shares.” Without Harris Farms, and with no scheduled racing in Northern California, Clark predicts a smaller foal crop in the state. “We could see a double-digit decline in ’26.” Clark said earlier this month. “Some breeders based in Northern California are leaving the sport. Half our business was to the north and half to the south. We’ve lost half of our business. They’re really focused on racing in the north. They live up there and they breed for a certain level of racing. Those people are gone. “There are a lot of people that just want out. They say, ‘Take my mare. I want out.’ They were small breeders. I’ve had three people do that in the last week. I said, ‘No. I can’t take any more. I’m choking with horses here.’ ” Clark announced earlier this year that he was seeking a financial partner for Rancho San Miguel but said earlier this month that there were no “serious overtures.” He said he remains committed to the farm. “As I get older, I want to have a transition to somebody who will keep this place a farm,” he said. “I’m trying to build a legacy here. “I’m not leaving California. I’m not going to Kentucky. I want to keep this place going.” In October, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association announced a series of financial measures designed to keep breeders active in the state and enhance their investments. For mares bred in 2026, the CTBA will pay $1,000 for each registered statebred foal, up to 25 foals per breeder. Breeders must be members of the organization. In addition, the CTBA will eliminate a $100 foal registration fee for the organization’s members for foals born in 2025 and registered as California-bred in 2026. A similar $100 savings program will be applied for foals born in 2026 and 2027. Also, the CTBA will pay a $3,000 transportation expense for in-foal mares purchased at public auctions outside of California, provided the mare is bought for $20,000 or more and is 12 years old or younger. The $3,000 payment will be provided when breeders provide proof that the mare was bred to a California stallion. Breeders can receive the $3,000 payment for as many five mares purchased annually. The incentives are financed by the sale of the CTBA’s long-held offices in Arcadia, Calif. The organization has a smaller staff than in the past and no longer needs the facility. For owners, there are larger bonuses for California-bred runners who win maiden races at Del Mar and Santa Anita, beginning with Friday’s start to the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Maiden race winners against open company or statebreds will receive $12,500 at Santa Anita, an increase from the previous level of $10,000. At the 2026 Del Mar summer meeting, the bonus will be $15,000, a boost from the previous level of $12,500. A maiden race winner at Los Alamitos will continue to receive $10,000. Bonuses are paid to winners of races at 4 1/2 furlongs or longer. The incentive has been in place since 2009 and paid bonuses as high as $20,000 at its inception. The bonus, not available to winners of claiming races for maidens, is paid to owners approximately 45 days after a victory. Those bonuses provide owners with much-needed short-term income. In the longer-term, however, there is concern that a decline in California-bred foals could affect field sizes at the state’s racetracks, which rely more on statebreds to fill programs than in past decades. “We’ve gone from a complement to a necessity,” CTBA president Doug Burge told the California Horse Racing Board in November. Burge told the regulatory agency that the decline in the foal crop “is very concerning to all of us given the dependency on Cal-breds. “We’re going to introduce the incentive awards that reward success and award production. We have to get in front of this thing. We’re hoping in a year we can have this conversation and see some positive.” The promotions related to importing mares caught the attention of Terry Lovingier, who operates Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs, Calif. Lovingier said earlier this month that he added eight mares from recent Kentucky sales to his herd and that three of them will qualify for the bonus. Lovacres Ranch stands three stallions – Stay Thirsty, Finneus, and Hopkins. Stay Thirsty is annually among the state’s leaders in progeny earnings. Lovingier said a smaller foal crop in the state could have hidden financial benefits, with bonus monies paid to a fewer number of breeders, stallion owners, and mare owners. A successful racehorse of any kind will lead to higher rewards in coming years, he said. “There’s not as many people drawing from the pool,” Lovingier said. “It’s a better time to breed. You’re more likely to draw from that [awards] pool.” Lovingier said he was particularly excited about the prospects for Hopkins, who was bred to 46 mares in 2025, according to The Jockey Club. Lovingier said the figure was actually higher due to later foal registrations. “I’ve got Hopkins and I really like the stallion,” he said. “I think Hopkins will be very good.” Still, Lovingier acknowledges that California breeding is in a time of transition. “There’s definitely going to be a slowdown in the breeding,” Lovingier said. “John Harris will be dearly missed.” Om and Tamarando join Clubhouse Ride and Forbidden Kingdom at Pete Parrella’s Legacy Ranch in Clements, Calif. For the Legacy Ranch team of stallions, the best promotion approaching the breeding season could be early winter results at Santa Anita, notably for an older stallion such as Clubhouse Ride, who will be 18 in 2026. “The best advertisement is what you do on the racetrack,” Parrella said. Parrella, who has a lifelong involvement in the sport as an owner and breeder of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, projects a 2026 foal crop of more than 900 in the state. According to statistics released by The Jockey Club, the 2025 foal crop in California was 980, down from 1,046 in 2024, according to statistics compiled through Oct. 13. “I think we’re going to be in the 900s to 950, hopefully we can break that and get into 1,000,” Parrella said. Parrella said the recent incentives will help, but that greater prize money levels in the state are vital. Unlike many other states, California tracks do not have an ancillary form of revenue to boost purses such as slot machines or casinos. Prize money levels have risen in California in the last 10 months after the cessation of racing in Northern California in 2024. Revenue from simulcast and account-wagering sources in that part of the state have been redirected to California tracks and prize money at those venues. “Hopefully, it will help the bottom line,” Parrella said. “This is expensive. People don’t realize it.” Parrella cited additional costs for grain, hay, alfalfa, and wages as key issues facing Thoroughbred farm owners throughout the state. “People need to be able to survive today,” he said. “The incentives are great, but people have to write checks every month to pay for training bills and vet bills. It’s the cash flow. “I believe in the industry. I’d like to do everything I can to make it right. We’ve got a lot of strong people that can pick up the slack from Harris. I think there is a lot of positive. I’m not going anywhere.”