2023 California Code › Business and Professions Code - BPC › DIVISION 8 - SPECIAL BUSINESS REGULATIONS › CHAPTER 4 - Horse Racing › ARTICLE 9.5 - License Fees, Commissions, and Purses › Section 19617.

19617. The following definitions shall govern the construction of this section and Section 19617.2:
(a) “Breeder” means a person who is registered as a breeder of a California-bred thoroughbred with the official registering agency and is named on the applicable Certificate of Registration issued by the Jockey Club of New York.
(b) “Qualifying race” means the following:
(1) In the case of breeder awards, all races in this state, all graded stakes races conducted within the United States, and other stakes races as designated by the official registering agency.
(2) As qualified by paragraph (5), in the case of owner premiums, certain claiming races, as defined by paragraph (4), and all allowance races, including maiden special weights. No owner premiums shall be paid on California-bred restricted races pursuant to Section 19568.
(3) As qualified by paragraph (5), in the case of stallion awards, all nonclaiming races and certain claiming races, if the nonclaiming races and the certain claiming races are conducted in this state during racing meetings where more than one-half of the races on every racing program are for thoroughbreds, all graded stakes races conducted within the United States, and other stakes races as designated by the official registering agency.
(4) “Certain claiming races” means thoroughbred races in the central and southern zone with a minimum claiming level of forty thousand dollars ($40,000) for winners and thoroughbred races in the northern zone with a minimum claiming level of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for winners.
(5) No owner premium or stallion award shall be paid on races with purses of less than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000). In determining whether a race complies with the definition in paragraph (4), the official registering agency shall base its determination on the actual amount of the purse at the time the race was conducted and shall not take into consideration any postrace adjustments to that purse.
(c) “Eligible earnings” means the following:
(1) In the case of breeder awards, the annual amount earned by a California-bred thoroughbred for finishing first, second, or third in qualifying races.
(2) In the case of owner premiums, the annual amount earned by a California-bred thoroughbred for winning qualifying races.
(3) In order for earnings from a qualifying race to be considered as eligible earnings, a California-bred thoroughbred shall be registered as such with the official registering agency before the date entries were taken by the association for the qualifying race in which that horse earned purse money.
(4) In the case of stallion awards, the annual amount earned by California-conceived or California-bred foals of an eligible thoroughbred stallion in winning qualifying races plus the amount earned by those foals for finishing second or third in a stakes race in this state, for finishing first, second, or third in a graded stakes race within the United States, and for finishing first, second, or third in other stakes races as designated by the official registering agency.
(5) For purposes of this section, the maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race within this state shall be three hundred thirty thousand dollars ($330,000) for a win, one hundred twenty thousand dollars ($120,000) for a second, and ninety thousand dollars ($90,000) for a third place finish and the maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race outside of this state shall be one hundred sixty-five thousand dollars ($165,000) for a win, sixty thousand dollars ($60,000) for a second, and forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000) for a third place finish.
(6) In determining the purse earned in any qualifying race that is a stakes race, the amount earned shall be based solely on the added money, with no consideration to be given to other sources of the purse, such as nomination, entry, or starting fees, bonuses, and sponsor contributions, or any combination thereof.
(7) On or before February 15 of any year, it is the ultimate responsibility of the stallion owner to advise the official registering agency of any and all purses earned during the preceding year that shall be considered in determining the amount of the stallion award to which the owner is entitled.
(8) On or before February 15 of any year, it is the ultimate responsibility of the breeder to advise the official registering agency of any and all purses earned during the preceding year in graded stakes races outside of this state by horses bred by breeder.
(d) “Eligible thoroughbred stallion” means a thoroughbred stallion that was continuously present in this state from February 1 to June 15, inclusive, of the calendar year in which the qualifying race was conducted, and if the sire left this state after June 15 of the calendar year in which the qualifying race was conducted, the sire returned to and was present in this state by February 1 of the following calendar year and thereafter remained until June 15 of that year. If a sire dies in this state and stood his last season at stud in this state, he shall thereafter continue to be considered an eligible thoroughbred stallion.
(1) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, a thoroughbred stallion shall be considered an eligible thoroughbred stallion only if its owner has filed a claim for stallion award on or before February 15 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year for which the awards are being distributed and is registered with the official registering agency.
(2) The official registering agency shall establish procedures for the registration of stallions and may charge a fee for that registration.
(3) This subdivision shall apply only to thoroughbred stallions standing at stud in this state before January 1, 2010, and as to foals conceived in this state before January 1, 2010.
(e) “Eligible thoroughbred stallion” means a thoroughbred stallion that was continuously present in this state from February 1 to June 15, inclusive, of the year 2010 or any subsequent calendar year in which he stood at stud and fathered the participant in the race. If a sire dies in this state in the year 2010 or any subsequent year and stood his last season at stud in this state, or was standing at stud in this state on the date of his death in the year 2010 or any subsequent year, he shall thereafter continue to be considered an eligible thoroughbred stallion regarding a race participant fathered by him in that season.
(1) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, a thoroughbred stallion shall be considered an eligible thoroughbred stallion only if the stallion owner has filed a claim for stallion award on or before February 15 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year for which the awards are being distributed and the stallion and the stallion owner are registered with the official registering agency.
(2) The official registering agency shall establish procedures for the registration of stallions and stallion owners and may charge a fee for that registration.
(3) This subdivision shall apply only to thoroughbred stallions standing at stud in this state on or after January 1, 2010, and as to foals conceived in this state on or after January 1, 2010.
(f) “Official registering agency” means the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
(g) “Owner” means the person who is registered with the paymaster of purses on the date the qualifying race was conducted as the owner of the California-bred thoroughbred earning purse money in that race.
(h) “Quotient,” for any fund, means the amount allocated to that fund pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 19617.2 divided by the aggregate eligible earnings of the horses applicable to that fund. In calculating the quotient for each of the funds, any retroactive purse payments with respect to a race shall not be considered after the disbursement of the fund.
(i) “Stallion owner” means the person who is the owner of the eligible thoroughbred stallion as of December 31 of the calendar year in which that sire’s foals had eligible earnings or the person who owned the eligible thoroughbred sire on the date that the stallion died. This subdivision shall only apply to thoroughbred stallions standing at stud in this state before January 1, 2010, and as to foals conceived in this state before January 1, 2010.
(j) “Stallion owner” means the person who is the owner of the eligible thoroughbred stallion as of December 31 of each calendar year in which the eligible thoroughbred stallion stands at stud in this state as to all of that sire’s foals (1) that were conceived in this state in that calendar year and (2) that thereafter have eligible earnings. If the eligible thoroughbred stallion dies prior to December 31 of a year in which that stallion stands at stud in this state, the person who owned the eligible thoroughbred stallion on the date that the stallion died shall be the stallion owner for that year. This subdivision shall only apply to thoroughbred stallions standing at stud in this state on or after January 1, 2010, and as to foals conceived in this state on or after January 1, 2010.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 272, Sec. 4. (AB 2792) Effective January 1, 2011.)