Despite the rough seas the great ocean liner of the California breeding industry has navigated these past few years, it remains integral to the nation's Thoroughbred industry, with the second most foals born and mares bred of any state behind Kentucky.More importantly, it still has much to offer breeders and owners.“I think us and New York are two of the best programs for incentives between owners, breeder and stallion awards,” said Mike Machowsky, Fasig-Tipton's California representative. “I've always harped that the Cal-bred program is one of the best, if not the best, on offer in the country.”And the program has a new dimension courtesy of a $500,000 bonus offered to the owner of the first graduate purchased at the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale which goes on to win a Grade I at two or three.“This just gives the guys a little more incentive, make sure there's enough activity and shopping at the sale,” Machowsky explained, of a bonus program that he said came about through brainstorming with the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA). “We're just trying everything we can to promote the regional market out here and California racing.”If a graduate of the sale achieves this feat, the bonus will be divided equally between the owner of the horse at the time of the Grade I win, and the owner of horse when it was offered at the 2026 yearling sale.This means that if the horse who achieves this bonus is one pinhooked from the sale, then the pinhooker will walk away with $250,000.“This is a very creative and lucrative incentive to add even more value to the California Fall Yearlings Sale,” said CTBA president Doug Burge, describing the bonus as one that would “encourage the state's breeders to support the sale with the best of their yearling crops.”While in California–much as in the rest of the country–the industry has been beset by contraction, numerical shrinkage has translated into a rise in overall quality, said Machowsky.“The downsizing isn't a positive,” he said. “But the fact that a lot of these guys are upgrading in quality very much is.”Tom Clark, who owns Rancho San Miguel, agrees.“Collected has been extremely well received. We bred 96 mares to him. He did very well in the shed–he's just a real gentleman. His babies are winning and we're just very excited to have a horse of that quality in California,” said Clark, of the son of City Zip who has completed his first season at Clark's farm in San Luis Obispo.Collected's popularity has taken Clark somewhat aback. He was anticipating a book this year of around 70 to 75 mares. And while the other stallions at Rancho San Miguel have seen a small dip in mares bred, Collected's numbers “more than made up for it,” said Clark.“That's really been the whole story for us this breeding season,” Clark added. “He saved our year.”The success of his new stallion has Clark eyeing up a potentially exploitable niche in the market.“The breeding environment in Kentucky is also very difficult, especially for the older proven stallions–everybody wants to breed to the newest thing,” said Clark. “And the cost of keeping a stallion in Kentucky is up to close to $100,000 a year, when you talk about advertising, insurance, the day money.”The equivalent cost in California is less than half that, said Clark.“I just think this creates a lot of opportunity out here for some of these older proven Kentucky stallions to be available,” said Clark, who, at the time of the interview explained he was poised to make a repeat trip out to Kentucky for another Collected-like stallion to bring back to California.As for the upcoming Fasig-Tipton California September sale, Clark said he's sending some 50 yearlings, about 30 of his own and around 20 for outside clients.“I believe we're sending better physicals this year than we've ever brought before to the sale. I'm absolutely sure of it,” said Clark. “I'm really looking forward to how well they'll be received.”The folks at Barton Thoroughbreds have also been injecting star-power into their empire.“Barton has really upped the ante,” said Kevin Dickson, farm manager for the 200-acre family-owned breeding behemoth in California's Santa Ynez Valley.“A blind man can see that Barton Thoroughbred's pretty much driving the California breeding industry. I think we're over 13% of the entire foal crop,” said Dickson. “We're not slowing down. If anything, we're getting bigger.”Having spent years stocking their broodmare band with nice purchases from the likes of Keeneland, Barton vanned around 60 mares to Kentucky-based sires this season to bring back to California to foal.This greater focus on quality, said Dickson, has broadened the commercial appeal of their stock.“What you'll see more of, you'll see Barton-breds running now at Keeneland. You'll see them running in Florida. You'll see them at Century Mile. You'll see them at Monmouth. They're spreading out–maybe not our own runners, but certainly Barton-bred horses,” he said.Among the Barton consignment at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton September sale, Dickson has high hopes for the farm's young stallion, Shaaz (Uncle Mo), whose first foals are yearlings this year.“We have a bunch of Shaaz babies. They look great–they look a lot like him. He really stamps his foals. He's a beautiful horse, a beautiful stallion. We're really pleased with what we see,” said Dickson.“It's a great program in California. We love it,” said Dickson, highlighting everything from the September yearling sale to the state's lucrative owners' and breeders' incentives and awards programs. “But we do need some help out here.”What helps are a raft of enhanced breeders' incentives unfurled this year.Cal-breds (already entitled to two first-level allowance condition wins if they're recorded separately on dirt and turf) are now permitted two wins on the same surface at two separate distances: one win at seven furlongs or less, and one at one mile or more.The $100 registration fee is waived for Cal-bred registered foals born in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Starting with foals born next year, the CTBA will award $1,000 for each Cal-Bred registered foal (maxing out at 25 foals per breeder).Furthermore, breeders will receive a $3,000 transport reimbursement for certain eligible mares purchased at out-of-state auctions who are subsequently bred back to a registered California stallion.“Just look at opening day at Del Mar. There's an open 2-year-old race with a purse of $70,000. It's a restricted race for horses that [reserve not attained] or sold for $150,000 or less,” said Machowsky.“But if you run a Cal-bred in that race, you're potentially running for $85,000 because you've got an extra $15,000 in bonuses,” said Machowsky.A Cal-bred racing in an $80,000 Maiden Special Weight at Del Mar, Machowsky added, could be running for a potential $104,000 thanks to Cal-bred bonuses.“You just don't get that in other states,” he added. “That's why you've got to be out here shopping at the Cal-bred sales and race here. You're taking food off your plate if you don't.”The post California Breeding In Focus: “That’s Really Been The Story For Us This Season” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.