CHRB Votes Down Live Racing Revival at Red Bluff and Ferndale

The California Horse Racing Board rejected applications to revive live racing at two Northern California fair venues, voting 4-2 against proposals from the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff and the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale. Both applications failed by the same margin, denying the fairs CHRB authorization to stage sanctioned live races.

The votes were taken at a special CHRB meeting on Feb. 26, 2026, when board members considered separate submissions from the Red Bluff and Ferndale fairs. Each proposal was presented for approval as a revival of live racing at a county fair venue; the board returned identical 4-2 tallies on both items.

The Tehama District Fair application sought to restore live racing activity at its Red Bluff grounds after a period without CHRB-approved meets. The Humboldt County Fair sought an analogous revival at its Ferndale site. With the board’s decisions at the Feb. 26 meeting, neither venue secured the regulatory sign-off required to hold CHRB-sanctioned live racing for 2026.

The identical 4-2 outcomes underscore a split among CHRB members on fair-based live racing revivals in Northern California. The negative votes close this round of applications that were under consideration during the special meeting and leave the status of racing at Red Bluff and Ferndale unchanged for the upcoming season.

Because CHRB approval is the prerequisite for conducting live, pari-mutuel racing under California regulations, the denials prevent the Tehama District Fair and the Humboldt County Fair from moving forward with licensed live programs this year. The board’s action at the Feb. 26 session will be reflected in the official CHRB record as two proposals voted down by identical margins.

For the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff and the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale, the Feb. 26, 2026, CHRB votes represent a definitive regulatory setback for any immediate plans to reintroduce live horse racing at those county fairs. The board’s 4-2 decisions leave the fairs without CHRB authorization to operate sanctioned live racing during 2026.