John C. Harris, California horse breeder and owner of Harris Farms, dies at 81

John C. Harris, California horse-racing mogul, had a particular love for the thoroughbred breeding and racing sector of his company, Harris Farms.

Multiple horses that were raised and trained at Coalinga-based Harris Farms went on to become national champions, including Tiznow, the 2000 Horse of the Year, and California Chrome, a national Hall of Fame racehorse. A close friend recounted Harris’ reaction to the latter thoroughbred winning the 2014 Kentucky Derby.

The moment California Chrome sprinted over the finish line, tears streamed down Harris’ face.

“It was just knowing that his farm had such a major role,” said his good friend Doug Burge. “It was probably the most fun we ever had.”

Harris, who owned the multimillion-dollar agribusiness Harris Farms, has died. He was 81.

Those who knew Harris described him as an acclaimed rancher, farmer and horse-racing enthusiast who devoted himself to his passions to the end. Harris Farms confirmed his death in a statement shared on July 3. No details, including cause of death, were provided.

Harris was born on July 14, 1943, and resided in Fresno County all of his life. He earned a degree in agricultural production at UC Davis before serving in the U.S. Army for two years.

Harris took ownership of Harris Farms after his father’s death in 1981. He oversaw all operations of the ranch, which encompasses a thriving farm that produces more than 30 types of crops including garlic, pistachios and wine grapes, as well as the horse-breeding operation, according to the business’ website. Harris Farms was known for the beef it produced, but the cattle-raising portion of the business was sold in 2019.

Another offshoot of the business is the Harris Ranch Resort, a well-known pit stop halfway from Los Angeles to San Francisco with a hotel and dining. “Aficionados of beef began stopping for choice-grade steak and eggs, or steak and almost anything, when the restaurant and coffee shop opened next to the freeway in 1977,” The Times wrote in 1995.

Harris nurtured a steadfast passion for horse racing and the thoroughbred breeding industry in Northern California, according to friends and family. He was a former president and board member of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Assn. and served on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the National Jockey Club. According to those who worked with him, he shaped the horse-racing industry into what it is today.

“He had a love for the land, everything from farming to raising horses,” said Burge, the current president of the CTBA, who knew Harris as a mentor and friend for more than 30 years.

Harris was a longtime, dedicated advocate for the agricultural industry, according to Oscar Gonzalez, the vice chairman of the California Horse Racing Board who previously served as assistant secretary of Agriculture during the Biden administration.

“Mr. Harris was just a phone call away,” he said. “When I was in Washington, D.C. ... and I needed a point of reference or background information on an issue involving agriculture, or water or immigration, he was always somebody that had context in that background.”

He was also known in political circles as a major Republican donor. He held a private fundraiser in 2024 attended by JD Vance, then the vice presidential nominee, as ABC 30 reported.

Most recently, Harris’ advocacy centered on reinstating live horse racing at the Big Fresno Fair. The proposal was ultimately unsuccessful.

“We will never give up continuing this storied tradition of Fresno racing,” Harris said on June 19, according to the Business Journal. “Today’s story is not the end — we will come back again next year.”

Justin Oldfield, a thoroughbred breeder and a chairman of the CTBA, said that Harris wanted everyone in the industry to be successful, always offering mentorship and help to those who needed it.

“For as successful as a businessman as he was, you would have never have known it from the way he treated you,” Oldfield said. “John was an extremely humble, down-to-earth individual that treated everyone with respect, treated everyone like they had value.”

He said that he once went to a horse racing industry event honoring Harris with more than 3,000 attendees.

“I can’t even imagine how many people are gonna be at his funeral,” Oldfield said.

Harris is survived by his wife, Cookie, and others “whose lives were enriched by his strength of character and enduring compassion,” the statement from Harris Farms said.