Horse racing newsletter: Good to have Simon Bray back at the track

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we give you some insight into the California Horse Racing Board.

Horse racing fans got a big sign that things are starting to return to normal when they tuned to TVG this past week and saw popular analyst Simon Bray on location at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. It was Bray’s first travel assignment since he covered the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds in mid-January, 2020.

During the pandemic, Bray has not been absent from TVG, just broadcasting from his spare bedroom in Rossmoor, near Seal Beach in Orange County.

“I’ve been locked down for 14 months in my guest room,” Bray said Sunday morning from his hotel in Lexington. “When life is normal, people say I’d love a job where I can work from home, but after about six months you’ve had about enough.”

If it seems as if Bray, 51, has been overly cautious because he has a life-altering reason. In 2015, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer. He’s gone through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and even an autologous stem cell transplant. In that, your own stem cells are used and replanted with intense chemotherapy in the middle of the process.

“It’s like having a forest and then chopping it down and then going back and planting new seedlings,” Bray said.

Bray still takes a form of oral chemotherapy every day, but you wouldn’t know it from the energy and sense of humor he uses while playing the foil to the character Todd Schrupp plays on TVG’s lead broadcasting team. Bray also pointed out that TVG’s accommodations for him have been “phenomenal.”

This last week it may have appeared as if Bray and Schrupp were on different sets but that was not the case. Schrupp, at times, had weather-protecting plastic as a backdrop while Bray seemed to be in the open. But they were on the same set, but different desks, appropriately distanced.

“There is just more chemistry when you are all together, rather than one person at the track, one in Pasadena and one in Orange County,” Bray said.

Bray actually left his home to do live shots from Santa Anita on March 22, but hadn’t traveled until this last week when he was fully vaccinated.

“For me, it was great to walk through an airport although it was weird at first,” Bray said. “My first flight was packed but I had a great sense of security knowing I had been vaccinated. Three months before, there is no way I could have done this. But once I got to Keeneland and saw fans, it was a great feeling.”

Bray says there were no blooper reels from his time working at home.

“But there were a lot of times during Del Mar that I was doing the show from the spare bedroom with my kids sitting three feet away from me on the bed reading a book,” Bray said.

Bray set his schedule Sunday so he could leave Keeneland after seven races and catch a flight, connect in Dallas, and be back at Orange County Airport by 10:30 p.m. (Try flying from L.A. to Lexington non-stop on your schedule. Can’t be done.)

He wanted to take his children, ages 5 and 8, to school on Monday. After more than a year having him around every day, they no doubt missed him.

And, without a doubt, we missed seeing him on-site at the race track. Now things seem closer to normal.

CHRB happenings

This is where we usually present the weekly stewards’ minutes. But, after several weeks of making the deadline, the California Horse Racing Board failed to get the minutes posted in a timely manner. But, knowing how much all of you like to hear about the goings on of the CHRB, we have a different report for you.

But here’s a warning up front, if you aren’t interested in the inner workings of the CHRB, you might want to skip the rest and come back on Friday for Jon White’s Kentucky Derby rankings. This is inside baseball.

As mentioned in the Friday newsletter, for the first time in at least 20 years, the California Senate turned down a Governor’s appointment. In this case it was Wendy Mitchell of the CHRB. The vote was 20-17 against with all nine Republicans voting against her, 17 Democrats voting for her (a number I got wrong in the Friday newsletter) and 11 voting against.

What was odd about it was in September, she, along with Oscar Gonzales, were unanimously approved. Mitchell was filling out a term and had to be reappointed while Gonzales got the whole four years. Think about the recent Georgia election where Jon Ossoff got a full six years and Raphael Warnock has to come back in two because he’s filling a term. Same idea.

Because of the short amount of time since last confirmation, Mitchell was pushed forward from the Rules Committee without appearing in a 5-0 vote. As voting on the Senate floor started, she had a slam dunk confirmation but as time wore on, some of the yeas became nays.

It’s not over yet. She can come up for reconsideration. When will that happen? It’s likely when Mitchell has enough votes to confirm.

All of this tumult gives us a great chance to discuss the growing divide on the Board. This is not some group in lockstep, except on voting for approval of the minutes. The main issues of contention recently have been Los Alamitos and the whip rule. The whip rule and subsequent penalties is on the agenda for the next meeting.

Supreme Court watchers love to rank the Justices from most liberal (Sotomayor) to most conservative (Thomas) and who is ideologically in the middle (currently Kavanaugh). So, we thought we would do the same on the CHRB and rank them from most reform-minded to most status quo. It captures where the Board is at this time.

Reformers (in order from most to least)

Wendy Mitchell (Democrat, if confirmed, term expires July 26, 2024) Despite such a position on this ranking, she really hasn’t been that controversial. She pushes back at organizations that bring incomplete applications to the Board and shows no fear of being a contrarian. But, she does it without drawing a lot of attention to herself. The racing establishment holds it against her that she has little background in the sport.

Oscar Gonzales (vice-chair, Democrat, July 26, 2023). He is the leader of the reform side of the Board and is not afraid to throw out proposals that rankle the industry. He just got reupped or he would be the top target of the racing establishment. He recently took a job in the Biden administration as assistant secretary to Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture. He also worked for Vilsack under President Obama. The only reason he isn’t left of Mitchell is that he will seek compromise for the appearance of Board unity, especially if he sees his views being DOA. Mitchell usually sticks to her guns.

Brenda Davis (Republican, Jan. 1 2024) She’s the most recent appointment and only has a couple meetings under her belt. So, we don’t really know a lot about her. But, she consistently votes with Gonzales and Mitchell. Her questions usually come off as being from someone who is still learning the industry. It’s refreshing and reminds us we don’t know as much as we think we do. She will no doubt start clearing her throat soon.

Man in the middle

Damascus Castellanos. (Democrat, Jan. 1, 2022) He’s much more powerful than he lets on. He was brought to the Board as someone who represents organized labor. Now, is organized labor more enamored with reform or status quo? Which leads to more jobs? We’ll find out as he has been on both sides. If he takes a page from the Joe Manchin playbook, he could be the real power broker. Both sides should be courting him.

Status quo (from least to most)

Dennis Alfieri. (Republican, July 26, 2021) I thought about making him the man in the middle because he will change his vote. However, his most powerful opinions are usually reserved for asking for more time to study an issue. Seems to test the wind before rendering a vote, but will thoughtfully consider both sides. But, in the end he shades toward the status quo.

Dr. Greg Ferraro (chair, no party affiliation, Jan. 1, 2023): He would no doubt take issue with this opinion, not that he reads or cares what this newsletter says. I believe he views himself as a reform-minded chair. He talks tough, asks good questions (including a great exchange with a jockey rep last meeting) but in the end almost always votes with the status quo. He and Gonzales are not exactly Godzilla vs. Kong, and they seem mostly civil, but it’s doubtful they will be invited over to each other’s house for the next non-pandemic Thanksgiving. Ferraro does not do a good job controlling the monthly meeting, allowing off-topic public comment to permeate most agenda items. (For what it’s worth, I’m very much in favor of public comment, but it needs to be on point.) The comment period after the executive director and equine medical director’s report has turned into a free-for-all on almost any topic, both pro and con racing. (Example is in the last meeting there was much discussion about Golden Gate when the track wasn’t even mentioned in either report.)

Alex Solis. (Democrat, Jan. 1, 2022) He has the most predictable opinion on the Board. Things are fine, so why mess with them. As a former jockey, he fiercely defends their rights. He could have completely cooled the Board split and lingering bad feelings over Los Alamitos’ license if he had not missed a meeting late last year. While he is retired as a jockey now, he was on the Board when he was riding, putting him in the position of being a boss over stewards who had the ability to fine or suspend him. The Board cared less about conflicts of interest then.

Those of you who could care less, can now rejoin our regularly scheduled programming.

Santa Anita review

The feature was a 5 ½ furlong allowance/optional claimer for fillies and mares going 5 ½ furlongs. Li’l Grazen, the favorite, ran mid-pack until the middle of the far turn when she made her moved, got even by the start of the stretch and won by 2 ¼ lengths.

Li’l Grazen paid $5.00, $3.20 and $2.80. Homehome was second and Liberalism finished third.

“She does everything right and she’s so professional, she knows what to do,” winning jockey Flavien Prat told Mike Willman of Santa Anita. Peter Miller was the winning trainer.

Big races review

A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 on Sunday.

Aqueduct (4): $100,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes, fillies and mares 4 and up, 1 mile on turf. Winner: Regal Glory ($3.40)

And now the star of the show, Sunday’s results. See you Friday with new Kentucky Derby rankings and a Los Alamitos preview.