Florida Racing

6th-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 8-15, 2yo, f, 5f, :59.51, ft, 9 3/4 lengths. EPIGRAM (f, 2, Code of Honor--Rockin, by Hard Spun) ran her rivals off their feet to become her late freshman sire's third winner at 7-2 odds. Breaking in at the start but recovering well to lead the pack, they were never given a second opinion as she put up an opening quarter in :22.95 and was on a clear advantage entering the stretch. From there it was how much she wanted to win by and the answer was...

After this past spring's failed attempt to get a controversial bill passed in the Florida legislature that would have stripped a 40-days-minimum live racing requirement from its casino licensure, the owners of Gulfstream Park have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC), alleging that the 2021 statute that allowed all classes of pari-mutuel licensees except Thoroughbreds to "decouple" from live racing as a condition of operating slot machines is an "unconstitutional special law and violates the equal protection clause of the Florida Constitution." Daniel Wallach, a Florida-based...

It was a very good week for the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (TRI), the group leading the fight to kill bills in the Florida legislature that would allow for decoupling at Gulfstream Park, which would mean the track could continue to offer casino gaming without the requisite that it must hold live thoroughbred racing. The matter had come to the attention of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who attended the OBS April sale on Thursday and made it clear where he stands on the issue.     "You can count on me as...

Legislative efforts in Florida to decouple the live racing requirement for Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to operate their respective casino and card rooms-efforts that industry stakeholders largely see as a death knell to the future of horse racing in South Florida--took a few twists and turns in the state legislature Tuesday. A standalone bill that had already passed out of one legislative committee was temporarily postponed in the state Senate. But similar language was inserted as an amendment into a separate and much larger gambling bill (HB 1467)...

A Senate committee advanced Florida's controversial decoupling bill at a Tuesday hearing after amending the legislation so that the effective date for removing the live racing requirement for Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to operate their respective casino and card room would be seven years instead of the five years that appears in the amended companion House bill. After absorbing more than two hours of testimony--almost all of it from Thoroughbred trainers, owners, breeders, sales company officials, veterinarians and other industry workers speaking out against the bill--Senator Jennifer Bradley...

During his 22 years serving in the Kentucky State Senate, Damon Thayer was known as a fierce advocate for the horse racing industry. Thayer decided not to run for re-election in 2024, but that doesn't mean that he stopped trying to help the sport, using his considerable political acumen to do so. Thayer has accepted the job as the senior advisor to the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative--a group formed to try to fight off efforts to decouple the racing and casino and card room licenses in Florida. To talk about his...

After nearly two hours of debate and testimony, Florida's House Commerce Committee on Monday passed bill HB 105, which would eliminate a requirement that Florida's two remaining racetracks hold races in order to offer alternative forms of gambling, such as slot machines, card rooms and casinos. The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Adam Anderson is now positioned to go to the full house. A similar bill has been filed in the Senate but has yet to be heard in committees. "Today's vote in the House Commerce Committee was disappointing," said...

Florida's polarizing decoupling legislation, which would remove a statutory requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs run a minimum number of live Thoroughbred races in order to operate the respective casino and card room at each venue, recently had its first reading in the House of Representatives and remains pending at the committee level in the Senate. The bill has the backing and was launched at the impetus of Gulfstream's corporate owner, The Stronach Group (TSG). But in a solidarity twist that supersedes his family's business ties, 92-year-old Frank...

In response to the proposed bill that would remove the requirement that Florida tracks run a minimum number of live Thoroughbred races in order to operate their casino and cardrooms gaming licenses, the Thoroughbred Owner and Breeders Association weighed in on what the action would mean to racing should if the bill was signed into law. The statement from TOBA read: "The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) fully supports the Florida owners, breeders and horsemen's stand against the decoupling of live horseracing from the ability of a racetrack to...

The horsemen's organization representing thoroughbred owners and trainers at Gulfstream Park is rejoining the National HBPA as an affiliate, the group announced Monday. The board of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, North America's largest group representing thoroughbred owners and trainers, unanimously approved re-admitting the organization currently called the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen. Known as the Florida HBPA for years, the South Florida group left the National HBPA in 2019. "Our full board had serious discussions about the request of the South Florida horsemen to return as an affiliate," said...

A Florida-based veterinarian has found herself in the crosshairs of a state law barring her from obtaining a license issued by the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) having already been employed by the agency within the prior two-year period--a rule that has some industry stakeholders scratching their heads at a time when many jurisdictions are already struggling to find enough regulatory and practicing veterinarians, including in Florida. "I have no job right now because I came down here to take that job and moved over to Tampa," said veterinarian Christine...

With an economic impact of more than $3.2 billion to the state, the importance of the Thoroughbred industry in Marion County, and Florida as a whole, cannot be overstated. Any action that threatens the viability of our racing and breeding operations is deeply troubling and unacceptable. Ocala Breeders' Sales Company, Inc. (OBS) is proud to be the leading seller of two-year-olds in training in the world and while the sales attract a broad group of domestic and international buyers, it is critical that OBS along with the Florida horsemen and...