FTBOA

A tax package that will extend racing and breeding incentives in the state of the Florida, was approved Friday by Florida Legislature according to a release by the FTBOA. HB 7073, which was initially enacted in 2023, continues to provide state funding for HISA along with $20m in purses and/facility improvements split between Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs. It also gives $5m to the FTBOA for use as racing and breeding promotions and an additional $2.5m for Florida-bred racing incentives. In total, HB 7073 gives a boost of over...

R Harper Rose (Khozan) represented her fellow Florida-breds well in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. over the Hallandale strip as she dropped the hammer down the lane to win. The OBS March grad made her debut a winning one as she streaked to a gate-to-wire finish by 6 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park in early August. Stepping into optional claiming company over the same surface Sept. 22, the filly was equally as potent when she won by 5 3/4 lengths. On her home floor last fall, the bay took on...

George Isaacs, general manager of Ocala's Bridlewood Farm, has been reelected as the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) president, according to a release put out by the organization Wednesday. Following the annual member meeting, the FTBOA held a board meeting and also named Rustlewood Farm's George Russell the first vice president, Summerfield's Francis Vanlangendonck the second vice president, Ocala Stud's Joseph M. O'Farrell as treasurer, and Nick de Meric, who operates de Meric Stables and Sales, as secretary. "I have been fortunate to lead FTBOA at a time...

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association reported a substantial increase in awards will be paid to breeders and stallion owners for 2024 through their Annual Awards Plan that was approved by the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the organization said in a release Thursday. The plan increases, which were enabled with the enactment of HB 7063, would increase Florida breeder and stallion awards by one-third, from the 15% level in 2023 to as much 20% of the announced gross purse in 2024. HB 7063 is a $1.3 billion tax package...

Simplification (Not This Time) was named the 2022 Florida-bred Horse of the Year in a vote by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors. Bred by France Weiner and her late husband Irwin Weiner, Simplification, who was also named the 2022 Florida-bred Champion 3-Year-Old Colt, was recognized for his victories in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. in April and in the Mucho Macho Man S. in January, both at Gulfstream. He also produced several other graded-stakes performances in 2022 including a fourth-place finish in the...

In an effort to further enhance the 2-year-old program in the state of Florida, 1/ST RACING, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (FTHA) have announced that $1.75 million in Florida-bred racing incentives will be offered at Gulfstream Park in 2023. The renewed Florida-Bred Incentive Fund (FBIF) will pay out a total of $450,000 in bonus money to 2-year-old maiden winners. The FBIF program offers Florida-bred two-year-old open maiden winners a minimum bonus of $2,500 for maiden-claiming races and up to $10,000 for a Florida-bred...

Medina Spirit (Protonico) was named the 2021 Florida-bred Horse of the Year in a vote by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors and announced at the FTBOA Awards Gala held Monday night at the Circle Square Cultural Center in Ocala. Bred in Florida by Gail Rice, who was honored with her second consecutive Needles Award Monday evening as the Association's small breeder of the year, and Medina Spirit's dam Mongolian Changa (Brilliant Speed) was also named the FTBOA Broodmare of the Year in a vote by...

Edited Press Release Well-respected Florida horseman George Isaacs has returned to the board of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association after a brief absence due to term limits. Laurine Fuller-Vargas of Morriston, George Russell of Reddick, T. Paul Bulmahn of Ocala and Nick de Meric of Ocala were re-elected to the board. They will each serve a three-year term that will run until October 2024. Leaving the board because of term limits is Richard Kent of Kaizen Sales. Isaacs is a past FTBOA board member and officer, who became...

Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), a three-time Sovereign Award winner and Canada's Horse of the Year in 2019, was named Florida-bred Horse of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. She also took home honors ad the Florida-bred champion older female and champion turf female for the third time in four years. Owned by Adam Corndorf and Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm and trained by Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee won her first four starts as a 7-year-old, taking the GIII Suwannee River S., the GII Hillsborough S. and...

Thirteen stakes races during Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet, including the GI Florida Derby, GII Fountain of Youth S., GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, GIII Fred W. Hooper S. and Sunshine Millions, will have bonuses for Florida-breds properly registered with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA). A total of $400,000 in bonus money will be distributed throughout the meet beginning Jan. 9 with the GIII Tropical Turf. While a dozen of the races will have a $25,000 'win only' bonus, the $800,000 Florida Derby will have $100,000 in Florida-bred distributive...

Florida Thoroughbred Charities (FTC), the charitable arm of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), has kicked off an online auction to benefit Thoroughbred retirement and youth education programs. Sponsored by FTBOA, as well as Horse Capital Television, Florida Equine Communications, and Kathleen O'Connell Racing Stables, the FTC auction has 57 items already up for bid and continues to add more. Featured items include halters worn by Justify, Speightstown, Wildcat Heir, and the 2019 filly out of Songbird by Arrogate. Original art pieces, racing memorabilia--including 1961 and 1978 Kentucky...

Congratulations to Robert Cole, one of three finalists in the Newcomer Award category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin. Cole, an intern/co-op program student at Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), retired after 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and went back to an early love for Thoroughbreds as he was considering his next career, saying he wanted to be immersed "in anything that was Thoroughbred racing." Cole was pursuing an equine exercise and physiology degree at the College of Central Florida when he...