No horse racing at the Big Fresno Fair in 2025, officials announce

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Big Fresno Fair announced connected Wednesday each equine racing astatine the just volition beryllium postponed for 2025 pursuing a determination made by the fair's Board of Directors and Fair Management.

The connection cited uncertainty astir the availability of horses, an accrued fiscal risk, and "the deficiency of a racing absorption corporate for Northern California fairs."

The announcement follows a closed league gathering among the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) successful January - who unanimously voted not to taxable immoderate applications for racing licenses astatine fairs crossed California.

The determination besides follows a bid of equine deaths astatine the Big Fresno Fair successful 2024.

The determination to postpone equine racing astatine the Big Fresno Fair successful 2025 was made with "careful consideration" for the fair's semipermanent economical health, according to the CEO of the Big Fresno Fair Christina Estrada.

"We stay committed to exploring each options successful an ever-evolving manufacture concern and volition proceed moving intimately with manufacture leaders to measure imaginable paths forward," said Estrada successful a statement. "In the meantime, The Big Fresno Fair is determining alternate amusement options successful the Grandstand for our assemblage to enjoy."

According to the Big Fresno Fair, shifts successful Northern California racing person changed the equine racing concern model— arsenic good arsenic "other longstanding manufacture challenges."

Fair officials accidental equine racing astatine the Fresno Fairgrounds dates backmost to 1883.