The board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California unanimously voted to appoint owner and trainer Mark Glatt to fill a vacancy on the board created by the recent resignation of longtime board member Rick Gold.

Glatt grew up on a five-acre ranch in Auburn, Wash. He credits his father, trainer Ron Glatt, with imparting his love of horse racing.

“I remember being at Longacres when I was 5 years old, feeding horses carrots and a little later on holding horses on the wash rack or in ice,” recalls Glatt. “By the time I started high school, I knew I wanted to be a trainer.”

After studying at Western Washington University, Glatt began training Thoroughbreds in 1995, handling a second string for his father at Yakima Meadows. The following year, he moved to Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, and in 2000 he relocated to Southern California.

Now a fixture on the California racing circuit, Glatt has trained many impressive runners, including graded-stakes winners Leroy’s Dynameaux, Elusive Diva, Michigan Bluff, Dr. Schivel and Beer Can Man. He has amassed more than 1,200 wins and career earnings of over $47 million. Glatt lives in Monrovia with his wife Dena and children Ryan, Luke and Madison.

“We are very pleased to welcome Mark Glatt,” TOC president and CEO Bill Nader said. “He brings a wealth of experience as a trainer and owner to the TOC board. Mark is intelligent, thoughtful, hardworking and passionate about the sport, and he will be a great asset to the organization. He has been an observer at our weekly meetings as well as our monthly board meetings over the past few months and has proved to be a quick study,” Nader continued. “He’s ready and will be a great addition to our team.”