Ocala, FL— The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association rejects claims made in the Nov. 22, 2025 The Equine Forum podcast at Horse Racing Radio Network. Out-of-state consultant Damon Thayer claimed Florida’s breeding industry was “caught flat footed,” “asleep at the wheel,” and not “doing its job” in Tallahassee.
It is uncertain to whom Mr. Thayer was referring, but the FTBOA was aware well in advance of the 2025 legislative session that decoupling legislation was coming and even warned that some horsemen had been misled into supporting or staying silent on such attempts. The FTBOA’s legislative strategy to defeat decoupling was honed before the bill was filed.
The FTBOA has been, and remains, Florida’s Thoroughbred champion in Tallahassee. We represent breeders, owners, farms, veterinarians and every sector of the state’s Thoroughbred economy.
Through Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, we control the sole remaining racing permit: a non-transferable, non-profit asset for the betterment of Florida and its Thoroughbred industry. Attacks on the FTBOA have intensified as outside interests see opportunity in that asset. The permit exists under breeder stewardship – not for corporate profit extraction. We are the only pathway for Florida racing beyond Gulfstream Park.
The FTBOA defeated decoupling–nearly alone at the industry front–in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021 through decades of cultivated relationships. Recent claims that Florida’s breeding industry was “asleep at the wheel” ignore this documented history. The FTBOA won four decoupling battles before outside consultants arrived, and we prevailed again in 2025, this time with collaborators.
Politics is local. Outsider-driven attack ads and pressure campaigns against legislators are particularly hazardous, sometimes catching allies in the clumsy dragnet. Tallahassee responds to Florida voices protecting local jobs and families, not confrontational tactics from those unfamiliar with delicate legislative relationships.
Legislators need one clear voice from Florida’s Thoroughbred racing industry. Multiple competing messages risk none getting heard.
We welcome collaboration but remain the primary thrust of legislative strategy. We have the track record, relationships, legal infrastructure, and non-profit advantage that protects horsemen. Claims that decoupling would have passed absent outside intervention dismiss more than four prior FTBOA victories and our institutional knowledge.
The FTBOA has stood firm for more than a decade – fierce, uncompromising – against decoupling and foreign corporate whims.
Nascent out-of-state interests could have been collaborative partners. The FTBOA had, and still has, that hope. But recurring attempts to denigrate our pillar institution reveal true intent. Consultants need Florida more than Florida needs them. They collect fees and portfolio pieces. Florida breeders stay and fight. We always have.
One front, one fight. The terrain is rugged. FTBOA’s indisputable Tallahassee stature sets the path.
Valerie Dailey
President, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association
