By Daniel Ross
California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) vice chair, Madeline Auerbach, told the TDN Wednesday morning that she formally resigned from that position Monday.
“During the decades I have been involved in the horse-racing industry, my work has centered on doing what is best for these amazing animals,” Auerbach said, in a news release. “I want to thank Governor Jerry Brown for appointing me to the Board and allowing me to do so.”
Auerbach's exit marks the latest in a recent exodus-stream from the board. Former chairman Chuck Winner left his seat this summer, when his term ended. Earlier this week, CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker confirmed that he's leaving his position before next spring, while the San Diego Tribune reported that commissioner Fred Maas will leave the board Jan. 1, when his term expires.
A CHRB commissioner since early 2014, Auerbach is a long-time owner, breeder in the state, perhaps best known for the part she played as co-owner of multiple California leading sire Unusual Heat, who died in 2017. Auerbach credits the horse's accomplishments as spearheading the work she has done for racehorse aftercare.
Most notably, Auerbach founded and is the former chairperson of CARMA, a pioneering non-profit racehorse retirement program in California. Other hats includes membership with The Jockey Club, a former seat on the Thoroughbred Owners of California Board of Directors and she's a founding director of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Auerbach has recently been under fire over “conflicts of interest” accusations stemming from her current racing interests and her regulatory position. In August, a spotlight was shone on Fravel, a horse she owned in partnership with Tim Ritvo, The Stronach Group (TSG) COO. Ritvo subsequently relinquished his interest in the horse.
In a Q&A in Friday's TDN, Auerbach explains what she felt was the political coercion behind her decision to leave the CHRB, the welfare crisis that has engulfed the industry this year, and the road ahead for the sport.
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