The California Horse Racing Board deferred approving race dates for Northern California fairs this morning, voting instead to hold a special meeting on the item in February.
The vote came after more than an hour of discussion and comment on the agenda item, a proposal by Bernal Park Racing Management Co. to conduct 19 weeks of racing from April through September, with seven weeks allocated to the Humboldt County Fair.
Bernal Park LLC, which was formed last year, holds agreements with several fair associations to organize racing meets on their behalf, restoring horse racing to the northern part of the state. In its final meeting of 2025, members of the Humboldt County Fair Association agreed that January would be its cut off for pursuing race dates, as staff needed adequate time to plan and finalize entertainment contracts for the 2026 fair.
At the heart of the matter seemed to be the legal position of Bernal Park as the applicant. The fairs themselves hold the licenses to conduct races. Ultimately CHRB chair Gregory Ferraro motioned to defer a decision until February, giving fairs the opportunity to present on their own behalf. What this means for racing in Humboldt County remains to be seen, but board President Andy Titus — reached by phone after the meeting — expressed optimism.
“The ball’s back in our court,” he said. “I definitely believe that if we can find a way to work together, we can make this work for everybody. I feel like there’s an opportunity here and they’re willing to work with us.”