"We're going to be working on the economic model," said John Sadler after being elected to his second term as president of CTT. "What we clearly need are purse increases and a higher horse inventory. Those are the goals, and obviously the unification of the CTT and TOC."

Californian Sadler, who was born in Long Beach on July 30, 1956, and has spent most of his life in Pasadena, has improved his barn steadily during the past three decades to reach the top echelon of the Southern California circuit.

In 2009, Sadler led three of the five major stops while finishing second at the two others, following a 2008 campaign with three titles. Sadler ranked 10th nationally with earnings of $6 million in 2009, capped by a Grade 1 victory in the La Brea Stakes by Evita Argentina.

The Grade 1 La Brea was Sadler's second in three years, following in the footsteps of Dearest Trickski in 2007. Other Grade 1 wins came with Victory Encounter in the 2004 Vanity Handicap, Healthy Addiction in the 2006 Santa Margarita Handicap, Black Mamba in the 2008 John Mabee Handicap, and Cost of Freedom in the 2008 Ancient Title Stakes.

Sadler's two richest victories were surprises: Our New Recruit in the $2 million Golden Shaheen Stakes in Dubai in 2004 and Musique Toujours, who won the Sunshine Millions $1 million Classic at Gulfstream Park in 2005 and paid $142.20 for a $2 win bet.

Sadler's first star was the 3-year-old filly sensation Melair, who climaxed an unbeaten career by defeating champion colt Snow Chief in the 1986 Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park, covering one mile in 1:32 4/5.

Sadler oversees one of the largest stables in the state, dividing his horses between Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

Sadler was a show-horse rider in his youth and worked as an assistant to veterinarian Jack Robbins before shifting into training.

"With my experience going to tracks all around the country, I could see we were headed in the wrong direction in California," said Bob Baffert of his decision to try and make a difference. "With this board, I'm hoping we can get back on track."

In his first year of eligibility in 2009, Baffert was elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The erstwhile quarter-horse trainer made a meteoric rise to the top of the thoroughbred world during the past two decades. Baffert won three Eclipse Awards from 1997-99 and trained 11 national champions, including 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given.

Other champions were Silver Charm, Real Quiet, War Emblem, Silverbulletday, Midnight Lute, Chilukki, Indian Blessing, Midshipman, Vindication and Lookin at Lucky.

Baffert won the Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem, the Preakness Stakes with that trio and Point Given, and the Belmont Stakes with Point Given. He has also won seven Breeders' Cup races with Thirty Slews, Silverbulletday, Vindication, Indian Blessing, Midshipman and Midnight Lute (twice).

Internationally, Baffert won the Dubai World Cup with Silver Charm and Captain Steve.

Baffert, who is nearing the $150-million mark in career earnings, enjoyed a banner 2009, ranking third nationally in earnings with $9.5 million and leading in Grade 1 stakes wins with 10. Two-year-old champion Lookin at Lucky and sprinter Zensational each won three, while Pioneerofthe Nile, Richard's Kid, Internallyflawless and Gabby's Golden Gal each won one.

An upset victory by Richard's Kid in the 2009 Pacific Classic gave Baffert his 26th victory in a million-dollar race. An Oak Tree title with a record 24 wins in 2009 boosted Baffert's total to 21 on the Southern California circuit since 1995.

Born in Nogales, Ariz., on January 13, 1953, Baffert is stabled at Santa Anita. The father of five, Baffert lives in Arcadia with his wife Jill.

Jeff Bonde is raising four sons on the Pleasanton farm where his grandfather trained during the 1940's and hopes the sport will remain solvent for future generations.

"I was on the CTT board before, and Bruce Headley and his cohorts asked me to give it another shot," said Bonde. "We're trying to get the owners and trainers together because what we've been doing hasn't worked.

"We have to fight together for a better deal," continued Bonde. "We've been giving our product away for 30 years. We can't just sit here and die."

Bonde trains a 45-horse stable at Pleasanton, Golden Gate Fields and Turf Paradise. Born in Pleasanton on October 30, 1954, he began working as a hot walker at 15 and has remained tied to his roots.

Bonde credits trainer Jerry Dutton for most of the equine knowledge he acquired during a five-year stint working for him before going on his own in 1973.

"I love to go to horse sales," said Bonde, who has hand-picked many of his winners. He won his first stake with Scene Topper in a $10,000-added race for 2-year-old fillies at the 1980 Solano County Fair in Vallejo and made headlines in 2008 by sending out Sierra Sunset to victory in the $300,000 Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Most of Bonde's stakes victories have come in Northern California, but he has added several 2-year-old stakes victories in Southern California as well. He launched the career of multi-millionaire Spain in 1999.

Bonde's first graded stakes win came in the 1992 San Francisco Handicap at Bay Meadows with Athenia Green, who went on to be named claimer of the year. Mr. Doubledown won 14 of 30 races, nine of the victories in stakes, and earned $738,692 from 1996-2000.

Other major stakes winners include Epic Honor, Green Team, Sierra Sweetie, Ranger, Notagoldbrick, High Tech Friend, General Royal, Red Sky's, Standard Setter and Mr. Technique.

Cassidy began working with hunters and jumpers at a riding academy in Old Brookville, L.I., before shifting to New York tracks under trainers Joe Cantey and Frank Whiteley, the latter when he conditioned the legendary filly Ruffian in 1974 and 1975.

Moved west in 1981 to assist trainer Gerry Moerman and continued in similar capacities under Sid Martin, Darrell Vienna, and Brian Mayberry.

Took out his trainer's license in the mid 1990's and has made his mark on turf in recent years. In 2004, won first Grade 1 stake with English import Ticker Tape in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park. The filly added a second Grade 1, the Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Keeneland, later that year.

Another female English import, Katdogawn, secured three Grade 2 turf victories in 2004. In 2005, Singhalese--yet another filly from England--annexed the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. In 2006, Cassidy won the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita with English-bred Milk It Mick. But an even bigger milestone was reached at Del Mar in 2006 when Moscow Burning, a 6-year-old mare, became the career earnings leader for California-bred females. Claimed for $25,000 in 2003, Moscow Burning passed Fran's Valentine to assume the top rung with earnings of more than $1.4 million.

Cassidy is Southern California Vice President of the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), the state recognized organization representing all thoroughbred trainers in California. He is also a past member of the CTT Backstretch Employees' Pension Plan (Plan) Administrative Committee. The Plan provides retirement benefits to California qualified workers and trainers who are responsible for the care and training of racing thoroughbreds.

Ellis has been training since 1980, and has also served as racing commentator for Fox TV network and TVG. Married into a racing family, his wife, the former Amy McGee, has two brothers in the industry – Marty, a Midwest columnist for Daily Racing Form, and Paul, a trainer based in Kentucky. The Ellis’s have three daughters.

When he was 20 years old, his first horse, To B. Or Not, became a multiple stakes winner and launched him on a successful career. Among his many stakes winners are Twice the Vice, Exotic Wood, Pirate’s Revenge, Declan’s Moon, Benchmark, Atswhatimtalknbout, Indiana Derby winner Don’t Get Mad, and Buzzards Bay, winner of the All American and Oaklawn Handicaps.

"I would like to see a unification of owners and trainers," said Gloria Haley, vice president of the Northern California division. Haley, who initially joined the CTT board in 2007, cited three similar objectives.

"First is increasing purses; second is a better treatment of our most valuable assets--our owners, our horses, our bettors and our trainers," said Haley. "And third, improved racetrack safety in concert with improved conditions and facilities for our backstretch workers."

Haley has been involved in sports most of her life in Northern California. Born on November 13, 1951, the Santa Rosa native played a variety of sports in her youth and used the money earned from officiating basketball, softball, and volleyball games and gymnastics matches to pay her college tuition at Sonoma State.

After graduation, she was a high school teacher and volleyball and basketball coach before taking out her thoroughbred trainer's license 33 years ago. She began training at Santa Rosa before shifting to the Bay Meadows-Golden Gate Fields circuit, where she now conditions about 20 horses.

In recent years, she trained stakes winner Yerevan's Star and is also busy as a breeder, with two mares in Kentucky and five in Northern California.

Haley resides in Berkeley, owns a ranch in Sebastopol and is married to Dr. Donald Smith, a veterinarian. She has a son, Gavin, and two grandchildren.

"We're all just trying to survive," said Terry Knight of the crises confronting the racing industry. "We need the entire membership working together. I don't know how it can function without trainers and owners uniting to make one strong force instead of two weak ones.

"We're living in tough times," concluded Knight. "We owe it to ourselves to give it our best shot."

Born September 27, 1954, in Corona, Knight has spent most of his life in California. The son of former trainer Chay Knight, Terry learned from his father and trainers Jerry Fanning and Bobby Frankel before beginning with quarter horses at Los Alamitos in 1975 and shifting to thoroughbreds in Northern California in 1977.

Knight has raced horses on both the Northern and Southern California circuits ever since. His biggest victory came in the 1994 $500,000 Grade 1 Hollywood Turf Cup with longshot Frenchpark, whose $72.60 win payoff was the highest in the history of the race.

Other major victories came with Publication in the 2001 Grade 2 Arlington-Washington Futurity and with Magdelaine in the 1988 Matchmaker Stakes at Atlantic City.

Knight, the father of twin daughters, lives in Danville and trains a 10-horse stable at Golden Gate Fields.

"I want to focus on finding ways to raise the purses," said Doug O'Neill of his goals in joining the board. "We have to figure out a way in getting people back in the stands, to make a day at the races a real experience. Hopefully, the trainers and owners can work together and find a way to make that happen.

"I think I've got good energy to effect positive change," added O'Neill of his first foray into a position on a horsemen's organization.

O'Neill, a perennial leader on the Southern California circuit the past decade, has won 22 training titles at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Del Mar, and Fairplex Park since 2002.

O'Neill is best known as the trainer who claimed Lava Man for $50,000 as a 3-year-old and developed the California-bred gelding into the most profitable claim in racing history. Lava Man went on to earn more than $5 million from 2004-07 when he dominated the California handicap division with three victories in the Hollywood Gold Cup, two in the Santa Anita Handicap, and one in the Pacific Classic.

O'Neill has won three Breeders' Cup races: with Stevie Wonderboy in the 2005 Juvenile, Thor's Echo in the 2006 Sprint, and Maryfield in the 2007 Filly & Mare Sprint. All three went on to win Eclipse Awards.

O'Neill also won a fourth Hollywood Gold Cup with Sky Jack in 2002 and shipped Fleetstreetdancer to Japan to annex the 2003 Japan Cup Dirt. Other Grade 1 winners include Sharp Lisa, Great Hunter, Mistical Plan, Spring At Last, Pohave, Shamdinan and Avanzado.

Born in Dearborn, Mich., on May 24, 1968, O'Neill moved to California with his family at 10 when his father shifted jobs from Michigan Bell to Pac Bell.

O'Neill stables about 50 horses at Hollywood Park and has another 25 at Philadelphia Park. He lives in Santa Monica with his wife, Linette, and their two children.

"I would like to be helpful to fellow horsemen," said John Shirreffs of his goals in joining the CTT board. "I will try to help in any way possible."

Shirreffs helped Zenyatta become a horse for the ages. The superstar mare stretched her unbeaten streak to 14 with an electrifying victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita in 2009.

Shirreffs produced a career year in 2009 with $5,701,932 in earnings, 11th nationally despite sending out only 97 starters. He won 11 graded stakes, six of them Grade 1, and finished second to Steve Asmussen in Eclipse Award balloting.

Shirreffs had a Breeders' Cup to dream about winning the Ladies Classic with Life Is Sweet one day before Zenyatta became the first female to win the Classic.

Zenyatta won five stakes, four of them Grade 1, and Life Is Sweet won four added-money races, two of them Grade 1, to dominate the female handicap division. Shirreffs also won graded staked with Madeo and Zardana in 2009.

Shirreffs made his first splash on the national scene in 2005 when he sent out Giacomo to a 50-to-1 upset victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Other Grade 1 winners are Manistique, Hollywood Story, After Market, Tiago, Starrer, and Tarlow.

Born in Kansas on June 1, 1945, Shirreffs grew up on Long Island and served with the Marines in Vietnam before entering the racing business in California.

After learning the ropes in a variety of positions throughout the state during the 1970's and 1980's, Shirreffs broke out in 1994 as the private trainer for Ed Nahem and Marshall Naify's 505 Farms on the Southern California circuit.

Shirreffs lives in Arcadia with his wife, Dottie, and trains 40 horses at Hollywood Park.

Noble set a record of sorts in 2006 when, at the age of 95, he saddled winners at both Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

Threewitt was the youngest trainer in North America when he took out his license at Caliente at age 21, was at the opening of the five major tracks in California and ranks as dean and historian of the Southern California colony.

During more than seven decades of training, Threewitt has sent out more than 2,000 winners, headed by Correlation, winner of the 1954 Florida Derby and Wood Memorial Stakes.

Other stakes winners include King of Cricket, Cuzwuzwrong, Debonaire Junior, Honeys Gem, Devoted Brass, Cerise Reine, Perizade, Speedy Edie, Mountain Glory, Try Sheep, Hula Blaze, Sea Eagle, Hairless Heiress, Old Topper and Theresa's Tizzy.

Threewitt led the trainer standings at Hollywood Park three straight years from 1959-61 and at Golden Gate Fields in 1970. A native of Benton, Illinois, he lives in San Gabriel with his wife, Beryl. He was the second recipient of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award at Hollywood Park in 2005.

A long-time advocate of backstretch interests, Threewitt was a six-time president of the California Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association-forerunner of the CTT-and served 16 years as national HBPA vice president. He currently is president of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation, which provides a Santa Anita clinic for medical, dental and optical services for backstretch workers.