Horse racing: the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program.

(1) The Horse Racing Law establishes the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program for standardbred horses bred in California, and provides that an offspring of a registered California standardbred stallion standing in California during an entire breeding season is eligible to race in the program. This bill would expand eligibility to race in the program to include the offspring of registered standardbred stallions standing in Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, or Wisconsin, or the Province of Alberta, Canada. (2) The Horse Racing Law requires the California Horse Racing Board to set a schedule of races for the program in accordance with specified requirements, including, among other things, that races be scheduled by the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Committee, at its discretion, for 2-year-old and 3-year-old trotters, as specified, and that 2- and 3-year-old races be divided into colt and filly divisions. This bill would instead require that races be scheduled for 2-year-old or 3-year-old trotters and would delete the requirement that 2- and 3-year-old races be divided into colt and filly divisions. (3) The Horse Racing Law also establishes the manner of dividing the purse in California standardbred sires stakes races, and sets forth the percentages to be allocated for horses placing in the race based on the number of participating starters in a race. This bill would establish the percentages to be allocated for horses finishing in 1st to 5th place, inclusive, regardless of the number of starters in the race.