TRI

Powerful testimony from veterinarian Bill Russell, a partner in Ocala’s Peterson Smith Equine Hospital, at the March 17 Florida House Commerce Committee hearing on HB 105. The decoupling bill would allow Gulfstream Park to retain its gaming licenses without having live horse racing.

Chester Bishop, vice president of the 5,000-member Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen, is a Thoroughbred owner and breeder, who lives in Palm Beach County, works in Broward County and boards his mares Marion County.

“Please consider not only the economic impact but the family impact this bill would have on our beautiful state and its beautiful rural and agricultural communities.” That’s FTBOA member Teresa Palmer, who with her husband owns and operates a 125-acre breeding and training facility in Morriston, Fla.

Robert “Chaplain Bob” Miller of the Ocala Farm Ministry, who has been imbedded in with horse-industry families, told the Florida House commerce committee that it’s ‘the hardest-working community I’ve ever lived in, and I’ve lived in a lot of places in the world.

Lifelong Ocala resident Jena Antonucci, who proudly describes herself as a small business and ag business owner, is the first female Thoroughbred trainer to win a Triple Crown race. That, she acknowledged when testifying before the Florida House Commerce Committee on March 17 “is mind-blowing.

David O’Farrell is the third-generation general manager of his family’s Ocala Stud, Florida’s oldest active thoroughbred farm that currently is home to 361 thoroughbreds and employs 82 families. O’Farrell also is chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association as well as president and a founding member of the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, created to fight for live horse racing.

Tom Ventura, president of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., testified against Florida HB 105 (which would let Gulfstream Park keep its gaming licenses without live horse racing) during the March 17 House Commerce Committee meeting.

On Monday, a House committee will review HB 105, a bill that would eliminate the requirement for Florida thoroughbred tracks—Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs—to host a minimum number of live races to operate their casinos. Damon Thayer, a former longtime Kentucky state lawmaker and senior adviser for the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, a group opposing the legislation, spoke with FOX 35 News+ to discuss concerns about the bill.

Damon Thayer, a longtime advocate for Kentucky’s horse racing industry, served as a state senator from 2003 and spent 12 years as Senate Majority Leader. His most significant legislative achievement was securing authorization for historical horse racing machines, which have since strengthened Kentucky’s racing circuit. After announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election, Thayer transitioned into a lobbying role, focusing on racing issues, particularly opposing a Florida bill that would allow Gulfstream Park to separate its racing license from its casino operations.

Allowing Gulfstream Park to keep its gaming licenses without the requirement to host live horse racing would bring severe economic harm to Florida without offering any real benefit.