The California Association of Racing Fairs (CARF) voted unanimously Tuesday morning not to apply for racing dates in 2025.

The summer fair meets this decision could impact are at Alameda County Fair, The Big Fresno Fair, Cal Expo at California State Fair, and Ferndale at Humboldt County Fair. Sonoma County Fair runs a summer fair meet independent of CARF.

In theory, individual tracks can still independently apply for a 2025 racing license similar to Sonoma’s approach.

“After making the difficult decision not to submit future race meet applications, the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) announces that it has directed staff to reorganize operations to focus on addressing current obligations and future efforts to support California Fairgrounds and their Satellite Network. This difficult decision was based upon an assessment of financial challenges incurred in the GSR race meet as well as current obstacles facing the horse racing industry,” wrote CARF in a press release Tuesday.

In the middle of December, the CARF board voted unanimously to rescind a proposed Golden State Racing (GSR) meet spanning the first half of this year, due to much lower than anticipated revenues generated from the GSR meet that ran at Pleasanton between October and December. The purse overpayment at the end of the meet was around $800,000.

“While this marks a difficult and challenging moment for the Northern California live racing community, CARF will continue to support its satellite wagering members and explore all possible avenues to support the California Horse Racing industry. CARF remains dedicated to serving all of our member fairs and their communities,” the press release adds.

Perhaps the biggest near-term question, therefore, concerns the horses currently stabled at Pleasanton. It was detailed during Tuesday’s meeting that there are about 478 horses currently stabled at Pleasanton, according to Bill Nader, president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), who listened in to the meeting online.

Thoroughbreds are currently stabled there and shipped south as part of a stabling and training agreement with the industry’s Southern California interests to provide Northern Californian-based horsemen and women opportunities to run at Santa Anita.

CARF and the Alameda County Fair have “the sole and exclusive right to extend” the agreement to June 10 “by providing written notice no later than Feb. 25, provided there are 500 or more horses stabled at Pleasanton at that time,” according to a statement issued by Santa Anita on behalf of the Southern California stabling and vanning committee earlier this month.

However, that agreement currently guarantees stabling at the facility only until Mar. 25.

Asked about the possibility of extending the stabling agreement beyond the Mar. 25 date, Jerome Hoban, CEO of the Alameda County Fair, said that “any such determination” would primarily fall on racing interests in the South.

“If the horse count is not robust enough to satisfy their program, then they would be the ones with the ability to make that decision,” said Hoban.

When asked if ongoing non-storm water discharge quality concerns could impede the track’s ability to facilitate stabling and training at the track after the Mar. 25 cut off, Hoban said that “we are actively working with agencies to be compliant.”

Hoban added, “I think everybody with CARF, including the Alameda County Fair, is attempting to sort through the challenges and do what is best for the horsemen and the backstretch workers.”

Earlier this month, Hoban stepped down as both chairman of CARF and from the board itself.

Asked about any potential extension to the stabling agreement, Nader said, “there’s no reason to wait until Feb. 25 if they know now what their intent is. They should let us know and let the horsemen know.”

If the stabling agreement ends in March, there is room for about 200 horses at San Luis Rey and about 300 horses at Los Alamitos, said Nader.

An out-of-state alternative for trainers currently stabled at Pleasanton is Emerald Downs, opening day for which is Apr. 27.