“Ocala is my world.” That’s Mark Casse, a Thoroughbred racing Hall of Famer in both America and Canada. In this interview with Alicia Hughes shot at the Casse Racing training center in Ocala, Casse speaks out about the devastating consequences for a labor-intensive industry if decoupling legislation passes. HB 105/SB 408 would let Gulfstream Park have slots without the live horse-racing mandate. “Decoupling would destroy horse racing in Florida,” Casse says. “It would be very harsh on Marion County, Ocala. I have approximately 90 horses running in South Florida. If this bill passes, those horses will then be running in New York. And we’d send all our people who work for us to New York. It would be an economic disaster.” Thanks to Hughes, the communications director for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. (OBS) for shooting this video, which is available for media use. If a news outlet prefers getting the video interview and b-roll separately or not in Youtube, email TracksideJennie@gmail.com with your request.
This video is a project of the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, of which Casse is a founder,, in cooperation with TRI industry partners the National HBPA and OBS.
Watch the complete video below.