Global Symposium on Racing Speaker: Harris Auerbach
Harris Auerbach is the managing partner of M.Auerbach, LLC., a boutique, family owned breeding and racing operation based in Southern California. Auerbach has served in this capacity since 2006 as part of a lifelong involvement in the racing industry.
Auerbach was first introduced to Thoroughbreds in 1977 on the backside of Santa Anita Park by his father Jim, a handicapper and active claiming owner. After graduating from the University of Arizona School of Business (Now The Eller College of Management) in 1991, Harris turned his attention to running the other family business in furniture manufacturing. He sold that company, JSA Corp., in 2004.
Through the years, Auerbach became more involved as the racing stock grew stronger and the claim of Unusual Heat led to the transition of the Auerbach Family into the breeding business. Harris's mother Madeline first managed Unusual Heat (the All Time Leading Stallion in California earnings and graded stakes winners), developed the broodmare band and eventually became an industry leader in California and nationally. Concurrently, Harris became more involved and was tasked with the daily management of a herd that numbered about 125 at its peak in the late 2000s along with the stallion book of Unusual Heat. All in, Auerbach has been involved with the breeding and/or racing of 17 graded stakes winners, another 8 graded stakes placed horses and 35 individual stakes winners total.
From 2012-2017 Auerbach served on the board of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association becoming its Vice Chairman in 2013. During that period, Auerbach also started to wind down the family breeding and racing businesses in California and transition from a high volume regional breeding program to a smaller, commercial breeding operation with the horses located in Kentucky. Today, M.Auerbach, LLC. has about a half dozen broodmares along with yearlings, foals and retirees all at Valkyre Stud in Georgetown, Kentucky. The Auerbachs also own several interests in Kentucky stallions.
Along with his M.Auerbach, LLC. duties, Harris also is an industry consultant and advisor under the banner of HorsePAUER. HorsePAUER offers individual breeding-matings services along with broader industry wide strategy consulting and boots on the ground management.
Harris currently resides in Agoura Hills, CA with his wife of 27 years Robin, his 2 adult daughters and his best pal Maverick the black lab. He enjoys sporting events (notably University of Arizona sports and the Los Angeles Rams), travel, sightseeing and time with family-friends.