Section 19617.7.

(a) The following definitions govern the construction of this section:

(1) "Breeder" means a person who is registered as the breeder of a California-bred quarter horse with the official registering agency and is named on the applicable Certificate of Registration issued by the American Quarter Horse Association.

(2) "Eligible earnings" means the following:

(A) In the case of breeder premiums, the annual amount earned by a California-bred quarter horse for finishing first or second in qualifying races.

(B) In the case of owners' awards, the annual amount earned by a California-bred quarter horse for finishing first or second in qualifying races.

(C) In the case of stallion awards, the annual amount earned by California-conceived or California-bred foals of an eligible quarter horse sire for finishing first or second in qualifying races.

(D) In order for earnings from a qualifying race to be considered as eligible earnings, a California-bred quarter horse shall be registered as such with the official registering agency before the entries were taken by the association for the qualifying race in which that horse earned purse money.

(E) For purposes of this paragraph, the maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race within this state is two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for a win, and eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) for a second place finish.

(F) In determining the purse earned in any qualifying race that is a stakes race, the amount earned shall be based on the added money and other sources of the purse, such as nomination, entry, or starting fees, bonuses, and sponsor contributions, or any combination thereof.

(G) On or before February 1 of any year, the stallion owner shall verify with the official registering agency the eligibility of a stallion to receive the stallion award to which the owner is entitled.

(3) "Eligible quarter horse sire" means a quarter horse, or thoroughbred stallion, bred to a quarter horse mare, where the sire was continuously present in this state from February 1 to July 15, inclusive, of the calendar year in which the qualifying race was conducted, as well as from February 1 to July 15, inclusive, of the following calender 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 quarter horse sire. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a quarter horse or thoroughbred stallion shall be considered an eligible quarter horse sire only if its owner has verified the stallion's eligibility with the official registering agency for stallion awards on or before February 1 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year for which the awards are being distributed.

(4) "Official registering agency" means the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association.

(5) "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 quarter horse earning purse money in that race.

(6) "Qualifying race" means all quarter horse races in this state.

(7) "Stallion owner" means the person who is the owner of the eligible quarter horse sire as of December 31 of the calendar year in which that sire's foals had eligible earnings or the person who owned the eligible quarter horse sire on the date that the sire died.

(b) Any association conducting a race meeting that includes quarter horse racing shall deposit with the official registering agency 0.2 of 1 percent of the total amount handled ontrack, and 0.4 of 1 percent of the total amount handled offtrack, in daily conventional and exotic parimutuel pools and a sum equal to 25 percent of those funds specified for purses in Sections 19612.1, 19612.2, 19614.2, 19616, and 19616.1 and the sums specified in Sections 19567 and 19617.5, resulting from quarter horse racing. The deposits shall be made at the following intervals:

(1) For any meeting of 20 racing days or less, the requisite deposit shall be made not later than seven days immediately following the last day of that meeting.

(2) For any meeting of more than 20 racing days, the initial deposit shall be made not later than 27 racing days after the commencement of that meeting and every 20 racing days thereafter, with a final deposit made not later than seven days following the last day of that meeting. The initial deposit for that meeting shall be based upon the applicable amount handled during the first 20 racing days of the meeting and deposits thereafter shall be based upon the applicable amount handled during the ensuing periods of 20 racing days with the last deposit being based upon the applicable amount handled from the end of the last 20-racing-day period for which a deposit has been made to the end of the meeting.

(c) After deducting a sum up to, but not to exceed, 10 percent of the total deposits made pursuant to subdivision (b) and the total deposits made pursuant to other provisions of this chapter, including Sections 19612.1, 19612.2, 19614.2, 19616, and 19616.1, to compensate the official registering agency for its administrative costs, the official registering agency shall distribute annually the balance of the deposits in the following manner:

(1) Sixty percent to the breeder fund from which breeder premiums are to be paid.

(2) Twenty-five percent to the owner fund from which owners' awards are to be paid.

(3) Fifteen percent to the stallion fund from which stallion awards are to be paid.

(d) The official registering agency shall make the following payments to the breeder, owner, and stallion owner to encourage agriculture and the breeding of high quality horses in this state:

(1) The breeder shall be paid a sum based on a prorated share, but not less than 10 percent, of first and second place earnings from qualified races by a California-bred quarter horse.

If the sum paid to the breeder is less than 10 percent of the purse paid for a first or second place finish in a qualifying race, the owners' award and stallion award pools shall respectively contribute 62.5 percent and 37.5 percent of the moneys necessary to the breeder premium pool to raise the breeder premium to 10 percent minimum. In calculating the 10 percent breeder premium, the maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race within this state is two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for a first place finish, and eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) for a second place finish.

(2) The owner shall be paid an owners' award, a sum based on a prorated share of first and second place earnings from qualified races by a California-bred quarter horse.

(3) The stallion owner shall be paid a stallion award, a sum based on a prorated share of first and second place earnings from qualified races by a California-bred quarter horse.

Stallion awards shall not be made to the owner of a sire that has been out of the state for breeding purposes during the calendar year.

(4) The breeder premium, and owners' and stallion awards shall be paid not later than March 31 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year for which the awards or premiums were earned. Any payments for awards or premiums that are uncashed on December 31 of the year issued, shall accrue to the following year for distribution on an equal basis. All uncashed payments for premiums and awards that have accumulated as of December 31, 1994, shall be paid to the 1995 awards program in accordance with subdivision (c).

(e) The amount remaining for distribution under this section, if any, after the payments are made under subdivision (d) shall be used for the payment of quarter horse breeder premiums and owners' and stallion awards on a prorated percentage based on the win and second place shares of the purse, exclusive of all purse money not derived from the parimutuel pools, to the breeders, owners, and owners of sires of quarter horses who have been officially placed first or second in one or more qualifying races.

(f) If there are insufficient funds to make all of the distributions in this section, there shall be no assessments made against any association to fund the deficiencies.

(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 32, Sec. 1. Effective May 5, 1998.)