Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen reverse course, will now oppose decoupling
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The organization representing owners and trainers at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., has reversed course and approved a resolution to oppose legislation sought by the track that would allow it to continue operating a casino without any live racing obligations.
The organization, which is now calling itself the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen, said that its board met on Monday to discuss the legislation, which has been introduced to the state’s House of Representatives, and voted unanimously to oppose it.
“The future of Thoroughbred racing in South Florida is too important and too uncertain if HB 105 is passed,” a statement from the board said, in reference to the legislation’s bill number. “We cannot take that risk without a definitive plan going forward.”
Earlier this year, the board of the group had voted to at least tacitly endorse the legislation, under an agreement to continue to receive $6.2 million a year in purse subsidies from Gulfstream’s casino plus additional funds for insurance and local aftercare groups.
That position came under fire immediately from rank-and-file horsemen who voiced their displeasure at a meeting several weeks after the position was announced. The FTH then said that it would “re-assess” its position.
The parent company of Gulfstream, 1/ST Racing and Gaming, has told horsemen and other Florida racing constituencies that they are considering developing the property. The three-year agreement would have forestalled a complete redevelopment of the property until 2028. Though current law prevents 1/ST from operating a casino without having live racing, no law prohibits the company from selling or developing the property.
With the organization’s reversal, 1/ST is facing a full-court press in Tallahassee from trainers’ and breeders’ organization aligned in opposition to the legislation. The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the National Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association have all issued statements saying they will deploy lobbyists to the state capital to argue against the bill.
The FTH is unaffiliated with either the National HBPA or National THA.
“The organization wants to actively engage and work with 1/ST Racing and Gulfstream regarding the future of racing in South Florida,” the FTH statement said. “We have requested a series of meetings with 1/ST and Gulfstream so that the interested parties can collectively come up with a sustainable solution that would be in the best interest of racing. Unless and until that solution is developed and agreed upon, the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen will be against decoupling or any legislation that threatens continued thoroughbred racing in South Florida.”
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