The California Thoroughbred Business League (CTBL), responsible for overseeing funds utilized for providing workers' compensation insurance relief to horsemen, has seen steadily increasing workers' compensation rates in the state of California. The cost of the 2019 program is expected to increase by 3% over 2018, or by more than $13.7 million for Thoroughbreds.
Per-start fees will be increased from $100 to $106 to cover the owners' portion of funding. As before, the per-start fee will be automatically deducted from the owner's paymaster account every time that owner starts a horse, effective Jan. 1. The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) board voted unanimously to increase Guaranteed Participation Purses by $6 per start to offset the costs.
In addition, starting Jan. 1, owners of horses who finish fifth or beyond–whenever their share of purse money is less than the Guaranteed Participation Purse–will be paid $300 per start at Golden Gate Fields and $351 per start at Southern California tracks to include increased costs for third party Lasix administration and jockey fees.
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