PRESS RELEASE

OCALA, FL—The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association today endorsed the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association’s motion to intervene as a ‘full-party defendant’ in Gulfstream Park’s lawsuit challenging Florida’s 2021 decoupling statute.

Lonny Powell – ©Serita Hult

“We are witnessing a pivotal moment for Florida racing,” FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell said. “The FHBPA has shown courage anew in standing up to protect not just their contractual rights, but the future of Thoroughbred racing in South Florida. This represents a departure from past approaches, the FHBPA has drawn a line in the sand.”

The FHBPA is a member of the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, newly formed in 2025 to help counter decoupling attacks that FTBOA has beaten back, largely alone, for more than a decade. This new alliance appears to have emboldened the horsemen to defend their interests more aggressively.

On October 1, the FHBPA filed its intervention motion in Leon County Circuit Court. The filing contends that the horsemen’s group faces substantial harm given its contractual obligations with Gulfstream Park Racing Association. Those obligations were mandated by state law when Gulfstream Park secured its slot machine license in 2006. If Gulfstream succeeds in invalidating the decoupling statute, it violates the terms of that agreement.

“At its core, the decoupling fight is about race dates, which are the lifeblood of horsemen’s livelihoods,” Powell explained. “This intervention brings horsemen to the front lines of their fight, embodying both TRI’s mission to protect Florida race dates and the FHBPA’s fundamental principle of horsemen helping horsemen.

“Let’s be clear about what’s at risk. If Gulfstream decouples and abandons racing, South Florida has no alternative. 1/ST won’t sell to a racing operator. Florida law bars new racing permits, while the gaming compact and Amendment 3’s 60% voter threshold create insurmountable barriers. Hialeah Park’s site-specific permit offers no path. Without gaming or other subsidies, no viable business model exists. This isn’t speculation. It’s legal reality. Without Gulfstream Park, South Florida racing ends.”

That reality underscores FTBOA’s decades-long stewardship and their battlefront resolve. Through its non-profit entity Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, FTBOA rightfully controls the sole remaining Thoroughbred racing permit in Florida, a non-transferable permit with no for-profit options. As the only entity that can responsibly activate this permit, FTBOA remains the sole pathway for Florida racing’s future beyond Gulfstream Park.

Return to the October 17 issue of Wire to Wire