Northern California will see no Thoroughbred or fair horse racing in 2026. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) turned down the region's last two requests for race dates on Thursday, February 26, 2026, and the state's 2026 schedule lists Thoroughbred meetings only in its central and southern zones.
Both requests failed on 4 to 2 votes at the board's meeting in Arcadia. "As things now stand, there will not be any thoroughbred/fair racing in Northern California in 2026," the board's summary concluded.
How the north lost its race dates
When the board set the 2026 Thoroughbred calendar on Thursday, October 16, 2025, its summary noted that "Northern California interests have not submitted any proposals." A late bid in January backed dates at the Alameda County, Humboldt County and Tehama District fairs, but CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney said staff had not had nearly enough time to evaluate it, and the board put off a decision, according to its January summary.
By February, two requests remained. The Tehama District Fair, a new applicant in the Red Bluff area, had not hosted racing in more than 40 years, and the board's safety steward noted it had no tote board, jockeys' room, paddock, racing office or safety rail. "Tehama is in no way, shape, or form ready to start a race meet," said Chairman Greg Ferraro. For the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale, speakers cited an estimated $2 million that would be diverted from Southern California racing.
Speakers also pointed to Golden State Racing's costly failure at the 2024 Alameda County Fair as a sign that northern Thoroughbred and fair racing could not sustain itself once Golden Gate Fields, the region's anchor track, closed that year. Bill Nader, president of Thoroughbred Owners of California, and John Sadler, president of California Thoroughbred Trainers, said many horses have already left the state.
What it means for horses after the track
Rachel Masen, a board director of Neigh Savers Foundation, spent at least six years as the Thoroughbred aftercare liaison at Golden Gate Fields, according to the rescue's board page. In a July 2025 post on the group's website, she wrote: "With the death of racing in Northern California, the rehab/rehome model has gone away and these horses are now horses that need life long care…and are a hodge-podge of breeds."
Neigh Savers, led since 2007 by founder and executive director Karin Wagner, began as a Thoroughbred-only rescue, has taken all breeds since October 2015 and says it has helped more than 700 horses. Its Helen B. Johnson Memorial Sanctuary in Potter Valley, Mendocino County, covers 75 acres beside the North Fork of the Russian River and opened to the public in July 2024. Johnson left the land to the rescue through a trust with "no monetary assets," so the rescue relies on horse sponsorships of $150 a month, or $75 a month for a half sponsorship.
If you go: Garden Party Sanctuary Fundraiser
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026. Sanctuary tours run 8:00 to 10:00 AM; the luncheon starts at 11:30 AM.
- Where: Helen B. Johnson Memorial Sanctuary, 12400 Eel River Road, Potter Valley.
- Cost: $50 per person for the luncheon, limited to 100 tickets. Tickets are non-refundable and include a chance at the door prize, which features a handmade quilt.
- Contact: Text or call Karin at 925.980.7588, the event page says.
Garden Party details and tickets
The rescue also lists ways to adopt, donate or sponsor a horse.
Aftercare funding and safety rules
The California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), an Arcadia nonprofit that funds the rehab, retraining and rehoming of California-raced Thoroughbreds, awarded $515,000 to 22 aftercare charities for 2026 on Thursday, December 18, 2025, including Square Peg Foundation and Glen Ellen Vocational Academy, both with Northern California ties. Its grants page says the next awards will be made in December 2026. "Responsible aftercare is now one of the first things they ask about," CARMA President Billy Koch said of new owners.
On safety, Chaney reported on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, that the 2025-26 fiscal year saw 51 catastrophic injuries statewide among about 7,000 horses, which he called the lowest total yet. The board's July summary compares that with 345 in 2008 and 128 in 2019. "While one fatality is too many, recognizing the progress that California has made in the area of animal welfare is important," Chaney said. Under new rules, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses older than 10 will not be allowed to race or work out.
From Saved by the Saddle
Saved by the Saddle runs free horsemanship programs for military veterans and at-promise youth at Ocean View Stables in Daly City, and is building R&R: Rescue and Rehab, its horse rescue program. No horse is in its care yet: a vet and farrier on call, a quiet space for a new horse, a written intake standard and funding for a decade or more of care come first.
Sources: California Horse Racing Board, meeting summary (Friday, February 27, 2026); California Horse Racing Board, "2026 Racing Schedule"; California Horse Racing Board, meeting summary (Thursday, October 16, 2025); California Horse Racing Board, meeting summary (Friday, January 16, 2026); California Horse Racing Board, meeting summary (Thursday, July 9, 2026); Neigh Savers Foundation, Garden Party 2026 event page (Friday, July 10, 2026); Neigh Savers Foundation, post by Rachel Masen (Wednesday, July 2, 2025); Neigh Savers Foundation, sanctuary page; Neigh Savers Foundation, board of directors page; Neigh Savers Foundation, home page; CARMA, grant announcement (Thursday, December 18, 2025); CARMA, grants page