BY TAMMY A. GANTT
OCALA, FL—Florida Equine Communications has unveiled their new Thoroughbred Training Centers of Florida, a guidebook to the elite training grounds found throughout Florida as a service to those looking for a place to train their newly purchased yearlings.
The training centers guidebook focuses on training tracks in Central Florida and across the state, highlights famed racehorse graduates, profiles the history of selected training grounds and provides listings of both new and longstanding Florida training centers with detailed contact and facility information.
Beginning this past April, training centers were encouraged to provide Florida Equine Communications staff a listing and high-quality photos depicting scenes on or near training tracks. Training centers with a listing in the annual Florida Horse Farm and Service Directory produced by FEC in July were included in the first edition, with new listings added as training centers provided them.
The publication will hit the mailboxes of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association members and identified new owners in coming days. It will also be distributed via Thoroughbred racetracks in Florida, Thoroughbred auction venues, including Ocala Breeders’ Sales, and at Thoroughbred educational seminars. A digital version is available online here.
“The new publication highlights the significant role training centers play to condition world class racehorses in the Horse Capital of the World® and across the state. As much as 75 percent of the annual national 2-year-old crop passes through Ocala for early schooling and training,” FEC Contributing Editor Tammy Gantt said. Gantt served as creative director/editor for the training center publication.
“This publication captures the beauty and uniqueness of many of the facilities in breathtaking photos by world-class equine photographers. It also serves as a tool to owners looking for facilities where their horses will receive top notch tutelage.”
FEC’s next introductory project is the Florida Thoroughbred Syndicates Guidebook will focus on breeding and racing syndicates and partnerships in Florida, including those from out-of-state who race Florida-breds. Syndicates may receive a free listing in the publication if they offer Florida-breds in their syndicates or race at Florida tracks.
“The Florida Thoroughbred Syndicate Guidebook is designed to provide information and answer the questions people frequently ask our Association staff regarding Thoroughbred ownership relative to syndicate participation,” FEC editor-in-chief Brock Sheridan said. “People often inquire as to how racehorse syndications work and where to find them.
“This guidebook will also provide existing syndicates a promotional and marketing vehicle that will target and reach a large audience of potential clients.”
The publication will be distributed in a similar fashion as the Training Center Guidebook and will target potential racehorse owners in Florida and North America.
“We are grateful to Shooting Star Thoroughbreds for being the first syndicate to book an ad in the publication. We know they see the opportunity this provides to promote syndicates to a new audience,” Gantt said.
Advertising opportunities remain available through Aug. 7.
“We continue to innovate with our flagship communications tools for Florida Thoroughbreds at Florida Equine Communications,” FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell said. “Having a publishing division—both in print and digital—in our arsenal and creating new products to promote the mission of the FTBOA and Florida Thoroughbreds will grow our audience of racehorse breeders and owners.”
