George Isaacs grew up with livestock on his grandparents’ Kentucky farms. He started as a groom (Stanley Petter’s Hurricane Hall). In 1981, Isaacs worked for the late Joe Taylor at John Gaines’ Gainesway Farm as a stallion groom, assistant stallion manager and yearling manager.

In 1989, Isaacs became stallion manager at Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farm in Ocala. In 1992, he was general manager for Allen Paulson’s Brookside South Farm. In 1996, Isaacs returned to Bridlewood as general manager, overseeing the farm’s operation ever since.

During that time, well over 100 Florida-bred stakes winners and 12 Grade 1 winners have been bred by the farm, including Florida Champions Jolie’s Halo, Wild Event, Forbidden Apple, Southern Image, David Junior and Eden’s Moon.

Isaacs helped manage the career of Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner Smarty Jones for the Chapmans. Leading Florida Stallions Skip Trial, Stormy Atlantic, Halo’s Image and currently Put It Back have all stood at Bridlewood.

Isaacs plans to continue to produce Florida-bred winners with new farm ownership. “ The industry has been very good to me. I would like to give back to Florida by having a small part in ensuring the next generation’s future legacy.” He is a former Board member.

A Word from George Isaacs

FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell was raised in a thoroughbred- and quarter horse-racing family, his father having been a jockey for more than 25 years.

Powell has literally spent every day of his life somehow connected to the horse and/or pari-mutuel industries. He may stand alone as the only person in the industry’s history to have served as a chief or senior executive of racetracks; a racing regulator, an industry academic, an account-wagering provider, a corporate track owner and as head of a breeders’ and owners’ association.

He has worked as a jockey valet, assistant starter and track maintenance worker at small tracks in Idaho and Arizona. He completed his collegiate studies at the University of Arizona, where he returned to serve as Director of its vaunted Race Track Industry degree program there.

Known as an enthusiastic advocate, communicator and student of the sport, much of Powell’s career has been spent as president, CEO or COO over the operations of numerous successful racetracks (in locales as diverse as Longacres near Seattle, Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Multnomah near Portland, Ore., and Santa Anita Park in Southern California) while leading them to various all-time wagering and attendance records.

As Executive Vice President of Racing Operation, the first corporate officer hired for what was then-emerging Magna Entertainment Corp., Powell oversaw the presidents, facilities and budgets at all Magna tracks which, at the time, included Gulfstream Park in Florida; Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows in California, Remington Park in Oklahoma and Thistledown in Ohio.

Much of Powell’s work has been on the regulatory and legislative front, including stints as CEO and President of the Lexington, Ky.-based Racing Commissioners International; cabinet member and Director of Racing, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, and Government and Regulatory Affairs Senior Advisor for the NTRA.

Additionally, he was recruited to serve as a top executive for the publicly held corporation Youbet.com, the nation’s leading advanced-deposit wagering platform. While there he was also named Chief Compliance Officer and Chair of Policy and Internal Review.

He also has served as a registered lobbyist in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Florida and has received a racing and/or gaming license in many U.S. jurisdictions.

As the proprietor of his own successful management and consulting company (Lonny Powell Strategy & Solutions of Lexington, Ky.) Powell has had the opportunity to advise a wide variety of CEOs in the racing, gaming, agriculture and business management spaces. His past clients include the NTRA, Multi-Media Games, Am West Entertainment and Bethlehem Farm.

Also a pleasure- and show-horse owner, he has been widely recognized by industry groups for his service to people, animals and industry. Such recognition includes the RCI William H. May Award, the University of Arizona John K. Goodman Outstanding Alumni Award, the UA-RTIP Distinguished Service Award, the University of Arizona President’s Club Award, the Arizona Racing Commission Award of Service and the AQHA Winners Circle Award.

He has also been recognized for his work with numerous charities and organizations, such as founding president of the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy, founding member of the UA RTIP Advisory Council, Vice Chair of the AQHA Racing Council, NTRA Director, TRA Director, RCI Director, Arizona 4-H State Board of Trustees Treasurer and National Secretary for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.

Since coming to Florida, Powell has been appointed by Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services Commissioner Adam Putnam to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of the Florida Horse Park, as well as the Equine Representative for the Florida Animal Industry Technical Council, and as Equine Technical Advisor for the Florida Farm Bureau.

He was recently elected by the state-wide association of CEOs to serve as Director of the Florida Society of Association Executives, in which he is the only elected representative of Marion County and the only representative of the equine, pari-mutuel and gaming industries.

He was also elected as the only equine industry representative for the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership.

Partner Connections magazine interview 2016

Immediate past president of FTBOA, Russell was born and raised in South Florida. He and his wife, Karen, visited the area and were impressed with the area’s beauty, the slower paced lifestyle and the beautifully manicured horse farms. In 1987 they purchased 158 acres on Hwy. 225A and established Rustlewood Farm.

Their initial purchase of four yearling fillies from neighbor Elmer Heubeck yielded Rustlewood’s first stakes winner. All Considered won the I Guarantee Stakes at Gulfstream Park and produced a number of winners for the Russells, including Consider the source, winner of the 2005 Florida Stallion Stakes My Dear Girl.

In addition to these black type winners, Rustlewood has also bred, raised and/or raced stakes horses All Milady, All in the Book, Blue Pepsi Lodge, Inside Affair, as well as multiple Grade 1 winner Chaposa Springs, Grade 1 winner You and I, Group 2 winner Distinctly North, Grade 2 stakes winner Mach Ride, Grade 3 stakes winner Prudhoe Bay and multiple graded stakes-placed Pat N Jack. He bred multiple graded stakes winner El Kabeir, with career earnings of $946,557.

Russell is the founder and current President of Russell Engineering, Inc. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association. He currently serves on Ocala Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Board.

Russell has been instrumental in FTBOA’s legislative role, governance and racing program development, is past chair of the charity/social committee, and a strong advocate of Florida Thoroughbred Charities.

Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck, along with their sons Arthur and Andrew, base their Summerfield Sales Agency in Morriston, Florida.  Summerfield is located on 80 acres where the Vanlangendoncks offer boarding, sales prep, bloodstock consulting, pedigree analysis, mating recommendations, evaluations, appraisals, sales recommendations and pinhooking partnerships.

Francis and his team annually attend all major yearling and mixed auctions, conducted at Ocala Breeders’ Sales, Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland in Florida, Kentucky and New York. They are habitually among the leading consignors in North America with nearly $12.6 million in sales in 2018 and among leading overall consignors with more than $15.1 million in sales.

Among the sales highlights of 2018 was a colt by Curlin that commanded a final bid of $1.8 million at the Keeneland September Sale and a colt by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah who dropped the gavel at $1 million at the Saratoga Select Sale.

Plenty of Summerfield’s graduates go on to show talent.  Summerfield’s current progenies include Gamine, a multiple Grade 1 winning filly by Into Mischief who broke the stakes record in the G1 Acorn at Belmont and dominated the G1 Test tying the stakes record at Saratoga.  Speech, a GSW filly by Mr. Speaker and a Florida-bred broke the stakes record in the G1 Central Bank Ashland at Keeneland.  Uncle Chuck, a colt by Uncle Mo won the G3 Los Alamitos Derby in his second start for Bob Baffert.

Some of the more outstanding horses sold by Summerfield include Shang Shang Shang, a G2 Norfolk Stakes winner at Royal Ascot; successful pinhook, Champagne Room, G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and 2 year old Eclipse Champion; MGSW and new sire Upstart, earner of $1.7 million;  Xtra Heat, Eclipse Champion winner and Hall of Fame inductee and MG1W of $2,390,000; and MGSW sire Lion Heart who earned $1.3 million.

Successful homebreds for the Vanlangendoncks include Multiple Stakes Winner and Graded Stakes Placed Yorkiepoo Princess with earnings of $551,177, current Graded Stakes Placed winner Proven Strategies with $144,943 and Multiple Stakes Winner and Graded Stakes Placed Cor Cor with $189,247.

He currently serves on the FTBOA board.

Joseph M. O’Farrell, III is a native of Ocala, Florida. His passion for thoroughbreds comes from growing up on the family farm, Ocala Stud. In his early years, O’Farrell worked on the farm mowing fields and feeding and caring for the farm’s yearlings. A member of the Boy Scouts of America, he earned his Eagle Scout award in 1994. After high school in Ocala, he went off to Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina where he was a student athlete on the tennis team. In 1999, O’Farrell graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting. After college, he went to work for The South Financial Group and Carolina First Bank in Anderson, South Carolina.

In 2004, he moved back to Ocala and became a manager at Ocala Stud, handling the financial side of the farm. In late 2004, O’Farrell purchased the broodmare Lady Discreet along with his brother David and Ocala Stud as partners. In 2009, Lady Discreet became the producer of Calder Oaks winner Chary, by Montbrook.

Ocala Stud has been a perennial leading Florida commercial breeder and has either soley or in partnership bred more than 100 stakes winners, including Eclipse Award winning Musical Romance, and current graded stakes winners Turbulent Descent, Tackleberry, Rigoletta, Gourmet Dinner, and Shadowbdancing. Ocala Stud currently stands popular stallions High Cotton, Montbrook, In Summation, Gottcha Gold, Adios Charlie, and Silver Tree.

Joseph married Alicia W. O’Farrell in 2007. Their son Joseph “Michael” O’Farrell, IV was born in 2008.

A word from Joseph O'Farrell III

Nick grew up in England, showing ponies as a youngster and graduating to three-day eventing and point to pointing when he turned sixteen. After graduating from Bradfield College, he worked as a journalist in London for the Field Magazine, before studying Rural Estate Management at Cirencester Agricultural College in Gloucestershire. After this he did stints with English trainers R. C. Sturdy, Brian Swift and Roger Stack before moving to Australia and working for the legendary trainer Tommy Smith. Later he became interested by North American racing and sales, and in the early 1980s worked for Clay Camp, Lee Eaton and Fred Seitz before settling in Ocala by way of Louisiana, where he met his future wife, Jaqui.

He and Jaqui rode for a number of farms in the Ocala area before marrying in 1983. Nick and Jaqui had their first two-year-old consignment that year and the fledgling business quickly grew into a major two-year-old training operation. Their graduates include You and I, Chaposa Springs, Smokin’ Frolic, Wallenda, Forty One Carats, Ask The Moon, Capo Bastone, Currency Swap, Materiality, Annals of Time, War Story, Practical Joke, and Separationofpowers. Nick has also served on the board of OBS since 2001.

In 1992 they bought Eclipse Training Center adjacent to their Manuden Farm, now an accredited facility totaling 240 acres. Both their kids, Ali, now a member of the Rice clan, and Tris, who with his wife Valery, have become crucial partners in the operation.

Valerie Dailey has a long history serving both the agriculture and business markets in central Florida. She has a B.S. in Food and Resource Economics and a Masters in Agricultural Operations Management, both from UF. She led the UF/IFAS College of Agriculture computer teaching labs and was the IT Director for the UF/Health Science Center Vice President’s Office. She also has been the Business Development Director for the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Council.

Valerie has been a Florida Licensed Realtor with Showcase Properties of Central Florida since 2005, where she specializes in listing and selling commercial and agricultural equine properties. She is the incoming president of the Ocala/Marion County Realtor Association. She is also on the board of the College of Agricultural, Life Sciences Alumni Board and the State of Florida 4-H Foundation Board. Valerie utilizes her agricultural background and leadership positions to protect the property rights of breeders in Ocala.

Valerie has been a small breeder since 1985 with multiple stakes winners including a Breeder’s Cup qualifier. Together with husband Hugh and daughter Samantha, she operates a successful thoroughbred breeding farm. Valerie is a member of the Ocala/Marion County CEP, and has belonged to the FTBOA for 13 years.

An entrepreneur in various industries, Paul Bulmahn grew up with a love of horses. He opened GoldMark Farm, a 2,600 acre commercial thoroughbred training center with a three-quarter mile track, barns designed to stay cool, an equine saltwater spa, and Equivibe vibration plates in Ocala in 2006. His homebred, Soutache, won two legs of the 2017 Florida Sire Stakes and top graduates of breaking, training, and rehabilitation include Cross Traffic, Mylute, Shackleford, Dullahan, Karlovy Vary, Pluck, Gypsey’s Warning, Mr. Sidney, Backtalk, Elusive Lady, Timber Reserve, It’s Tea Time, Silver Max, and Private Zone.

At GoldMark Farm, Bulmahn created a Triple Crown Museum with memorabilia from each of the 13 winners. He pioneered the invention of a biomass reactor to turn horse manure into energy and is working to make the process useful for large and small horse farms alike. He supports many equine causes and community events, including hosting the Ocala Symphony at the farm and a Florida Horse Park fundraiser featuring Kate Chenery Tweedy. He has also contributed a positive industry voice to television interviews and is producing a documentary movie about the living Triple Crown jockeys.

He presently serves on the Texas State University Board of Directors of the College of Business Foundation and also on the Skywave Network LLC board. Paul earned a J.D. from University of Texas School of Law; and an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business, Texas State University, which in 2000 named him a Distinguished Alumnus.

Veteran banker and longtime thoroughbred owner/breeder, Jerry is the chair/CEO of the bank holding company, New South Bancorp, Inc. in Tampa and was founder/has served as COB of HomeBancorp, Inc., and COB at Republic Bancorp since 1986. 

Campbell taught finance, banking and investment courses at Wayne State University. He has a B.S. degree in liberal arts from Central Michigan University, a M.B.A. degree from Wayne State University and The University of Michigan where he later served 10 years on the Dean’s visiting committee for the business school. Campbell has served on the Board of Trustees for Central Michigan University. Campbell was Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year in 1993. Campbell previously served as a director, president/CEO of Magna Entertainment, Inc.

Campbell has been breeding and racing thoroughbred horses for more than 55 years. He currently owns 25 thoroughbreds, including race horses, mares and foals. All of the breeding is in Florida. His trainer is Kathleen O’Connell. 

Among the horses raced by Jerry are stakes winners Crash Pad, Diamond Gate, Mont Ridge, Post It, Proud Ridge, Sea Legs, Terko Bates, Axe of Courage, I Match Too, This Cats on Fire, Wave Pool, Charlies Fire, and Valley Loot. The latter, a daughter of Demaloot Demashoot, was named Michigan’s Horse of the Year and top 3-year-old filly in 2007. 

He roughly has two dozen racehorses at Tampa Bay Downs and launched Team Equest, a Florida-based syndicate initiative designed to attract new owners to racing via a fractional ownership plan in 2014. He races under Volar Corporation and owned Florida-bred Indy Lyon, a winner on Florida Cup Day at Tampa last year. 

Marilyn, along with her husband Gil, established the 600-acre Williston–based Stonehedge Farm South in 1988. Since then, the farm has been a perennial industry leader. In 2018, the three-time Breeder of the Year led the Florida foal crop and was ranked fifth in Florida-bred earnings of more than $1.7 million.

Grade 2 stakes winner Ivanavinalot, dam of Songbird, is among their 77 Florida-bred stakes winners. Black-type stakes winner Well Defined and Always Sunshine, a dual stakes winner were added to the list in 2018 along with millionaires Marlin and Blazing Sword. They have approximately 200 head of horses on the property and stand Cajun Breeze, a son of Congrats. Marilyn and Gil first became involved in the sport in 1982 as co-owners of the Florida-bred stakes winner Shananie. The horse was the first stallion to stand at Stonehedge.

For decades, Marilyn has been supportive of Florida-breds and the Florida program. Her husband is a former FTBOA director and Marilyn plans to bring that same passion for improving Florida racing and breeding to the table and of supporting programs like the Florida Sire Stakes in which they are also perennial leaders. They have also been significant sponsors of many Florida Thoroughbred Charities events raising funds for thoroughbred retirement.

Laurine has devoted her entire life to thoroughbreds and the racing industry. She’s a third generation horsemen, and as a child, spent every moment possible in the barn or at the racetrack. She learned everything from picking feet, walking hots and rolling bandages to rehabbing injured horses and galloping racehorses. At age 12, Laurine became Massachusetts’ youngest licensed owner and in 2008 her dreams came true when she saddled Ask Queenie, the richest Massachusetts-Bred in racehorse history, to her first win as a licensed trainer. From that point on there was no looking back… she knew she would never go a day without horses in her life.

Laurine moved to her family farm in Florida in 2006. Her duties included all aspects of the industry including breaking/training babies, sales prep, breeding mares, foaling, race training and racing horses year round in Florida to aftercare of retired racehorses.

Today, after many years of devotion and leadership, her grandfather’s legacy, the 65 acre Cedar Lock Farm is still a successful and thriving farm home to over 25 thoroughbreds. It is also home to the local beloved Run for the Ribbons. In 2014, she founded Run for the Ribbons Inc., a 501c3 program dedicated to improving the lives of OTTBs after their racing careers.

Laurine truly cares about the horses and the integrity of the industry and feels she has a lot to offer the FTBOA & its members. She lives in Morriston with her husband Jorge and their three children.

Founded in 2016, Breeze Easy has rapidly established itself in thoroughbred racing, breeding and sales and has campaigned graded stakes winners on both sides of the Atlantic and presented top quality offerings at leading weanling and broodmare sales. In just a few years, Breeze Easy horses have visited the winner’s circle at both Royal Ascot and the Breeders’ Cup. Hall maintains an elite band of around 25 mares, among them Shoppers Return – the dam of Imprimis – champions Academic and Paquita Coqueta, grade 1 winner Belle Gallantey, and graded stakes winners Call Pat, Lady Sabelia, Miss Sunset, Selcourt, and Yahilwa, among others at two farms – one in Ocala.

Mike has been involved with horses his entire life. He grew up on a family farm in West Virginia where his love for horses began. Later, Mike became involved in team roping, a passion that led to becoming a co-owner of Classic Rope Company, and subsequently the formation of Equibrand, a group of companies that continue to play a vital role as a supplier to the equine industry. Mike is a successful entrepreneur, owning multiple other businesses, with a primary focus in the oil and gas industry.

He bought his first thoroughbred at Ocala Breeders’ Sales in 2016 and has purchased Florida-breds out of the Ocala Breeders Sales. He also owned Florida-bred Ascot winner Shang Shang Shang. He stands Curlin’s Honor at Pleasant Acres Stallions.

Bobby Jones has been a mainstay in the thoroughbred community in Ocala for more than 30 years and has served some 25 years with the Florida Farm Managers Club. He served as president for more than a decade and has served as Chairman of the Board for the last nine years.

Jones is currently the owner and manager of Bobby Jones Equine, LLC, a 36-acre thoroughbred farm where he keeps between 10 to12 broodmares for breeding in the thoroughbred commercial market. He also conducts sales preparation and consigns thoroughbreds of all ages at public auction. He offers boarding, foaling, breeding, breaking, training, and rehabilitations, which are enhanced by the swimming facilities located on the farm.

Jones also offers bloodstock services with pedigree analysis for clients in search of stallion and broodmare mating consultations. Jones also strongly supports youth education serving on the Business Advisory Council for Agriculture as part of Career and Technical Education (vocational training) in the Marion County Public Schools. Jones has worked with local high schools to teach breeding, foaling and prepping for sales which has led to the successful sale of several student project horses.

He currently serves on the FTBOA board and previously served from 2002 through 2004.

Mary is a licensed trainer from a well-regarded, longstanding thoroughbred family based in Williston. The Lightner family owns and operates their broodmare farm in Williston and they break and train 20-30 yearlings each year at Oakridge Training Center in Morriston. 

Mary, and her father Mike, are active participants at the sales, and have purchased a couple of standouts in the past few years, including eventual Grade 3 winner Island Commish and multiple graded stakes winner Kathleen O. Their burgeoning broodmare division at Oak Glen Farm in Williston focuses on Florida-breds. 

Mary established Shooting Star Thoroughbreds with the awareness that there is a growing interest and passion for thoroughbred ownership. The syndicate, focusing on Florida bred/Florida sires, has brought well over 100 new owners to the business. Shooting Star affords the access and opportunity of ownership at a reasonable price point and engages individuals with a curious interest to make their dream become a reality. 

Experiencing the thrill and excitement of ownership and the ability to share those moments within a racing community and other like-minded members is the cornerstone of Mary’s vision for Shooting Star Thoroughbreds. 

Formed in 2019, the syndicate had a 92% in-the-money strike rate in their first 12 starts, partly due to Florida-bred and Florida 2 Year Old Champion Chance It, a dual winner in the Florida Sire Stakes. They now stand Chance It at Journeyman Stallions in Ocala. She has been a speaker at a Tampa TOBA seminar and to an FTBOA bus trip group at Gulfstream sharing her expertise in the industry. 

A retired Pennsylvania steel executive, Kosanovich got involved with thoroughbreds more than 30 years ago purchasing his first broodmare as a graduate school business project. Kosanovich owns a 40-acre farm in Ocala and eight mares. A highlight came in 2009 when broodmare, Go Donna Go produced Grade 1 performers, Macho Again, winner of more than $1.8 million, and Be Fair.

That year, his Florida-breds won more than $1.6 million, comprised of 16 starters with 18 wins, 27 seconds and 21 thirds (four stakes winners). His success led him to be honored with the FTBOA Needles Award, bestowed annually to outstanding small breeding operations. Macho Again won the Jim Dandy (G2) and New Orleans (G2) and placed in the Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1). The daughter of former Florida stallion Exchange Rate, Be Fair won the Lake George (G3). His 2009 stakes winners included Pray for Action and Izzy Rules.

His other stakes winners include Kays and Jays, a 3-year-old filly by Macho Uno, Darley OBS Sprint winner Praying for Cash, and Its True Love.

Kosanovich has experience serving on nearly a dozen corporate and charity boards and previously served on the FTBOA board along with the governance and audit committees. He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Yutani was born in California, raised in Detroit and attended high school in California. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Southern California and graduated from the George Washington University Medical School. He did his post graduate training at the Cleveland Clinic and served two years as a doctor in the United States Army. He is married to Sara Lynn whom he met in Washington DC.

Yutani and his wife came to Ocala and Marion County in 1972 drawn by the climate and horses with a desire to not raise their children in a big city and he started his medical practice in Internal Medicine at the same time. In a familiar story, they had pleasure horses initially and their three children (Kevin, Marti and Tommi) each showed hunters through high school. An interest developed in thoroughbreds and they became breeders around 1983.

Over the years Sara became a licensed horse trainer, so, in addition to breeding, training was added to their program. Most of the horses were sold as 2-year-olds in training. Of the horses sold, they were breeders or co-breeders of stakes horses such as My Nichole, who won the Desert Vixen Stakes and was the dam of Three Ring, multiple stakes winning Daisies and Nites, stakes winner Right This Way, Group 3-placed Oh Mambo Girl and Stoneyer, the 2-year-old and 3-year-old imported horse of the year in Puerto Rico. Horses trained and resold include Imawildandcrazyguy, who was fourth in the 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Able Buck, who was second in the Withers (G2).

He currently serves on the FTBOA board.