from the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association

Pompano Beach, FL — The FSBOA wishes to inform its members of an attempt to use a quarter horse permit/license application to replace the Florida statute required for live quarter horse race days with a limited number of barrel racing rodeo events on which pari-mutuel wagering is planned.

This effort is, we believe, an attempt to obtain a card room and perhaps eventually a casino without the capital investment required to build a racetrack and related facilities.

Equibase, the Trackmaster equivalent for race charting and pari-mutuel program past performance lines, does not chart barrel races which are a timed rodeo event, not horse racing. Further, barrel racing horses are not breed specific although quarter horses are the prevalent breed used for those events.

The Gretna Racing LLC sponsoring organization is 70 percent owned by an out-of-state Native American Indian group and 30 percent by certain Florida business and lobbying interests. This organization has formed its own horsemen’s association, thereby avoiding contractual negotiations with the only state recognized quarter horse association.

The “prize money” advertised for the barrel racing events is considerably less than that offered at the Hialeah Park quarter horse races during the past two years, races that were conducted in compliance with state law.

This is an ethical issue and much more, as it threatens the racing equine and breeding industry in Florida and sets a dangerous precedent for the racing equine industry in the United States. As you know, the racing equine industry is a powerful economic engine that drives employment, purchases of feed, pharmaceuticals, veterinary and other services while also preserving tax generating green space and tax revenues on wagering to the state.