A new role for Bo Derek: horse racing watchdog

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed actress Bo Derek Tuesday to the California Horse Racing Board. Derek, 51, best known for a cornrow hairstyle and beach run in the 1979 movie “10,” is a Republican, animal rights activist and author of the book “Riding Lessons:  Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses.”

According to Schwarzenegger’s announcement, Derek has also served as spokeswoman for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and owns a pet care products company called Bless the Beasts. The seven gubernatorial appointees of the horse racing board license nearly 14,000 trainers, jockeys, owners and others involved in a multibillion-dollar industry.

--Nancy Vogel

Comments

[Greg]

She is probably a lovely lady and my apologies to her.

However, none of her life experience shows qualifications to be part of a Commission that oversees a multi-hundred million dollar industry with many participants who are only looking out for themselves and not the sport/industry/business. She might be another one of the "do-gooders" that dominated the California Horse Racing Board that have caused the sport I love to take two steps back and make the fans/patrons/those who pay the bills because of the money taken out of wagers a last priority.

I hope I am wrong. But past Governors' performances are an indication of future performance.