Proposed changes to legislation in Florida would allow 1/ST Racing to decouple live racing from slot-machine operations. The move could trigger speculation about the future of Gulfstream Park even as its stakeholders insist it is on solid ground.

1/ST Racing, which owns Gulfstream Park, said in a news release that it had enlisted the support of Florida horsemen for the amended legislation.

The bill, filed Monday, also eliminates a requirement that Thoroughbred tracks with slots licenses must distribute slots revenue to purses and awards with the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.

Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said that it and “its affiliates, including the Tampa Bay HBPA and many other horsemen across Florida, cannot currently support the proposed changes to (the legislation). At this time, these changes do not appear to offer any favorable provisions for horsemen.

“For years, the NHBPA has consistently opposed decoupling from live racing, as it is detrimental to the health and welfare of the horse racing industry,” he said. “We remain committed to protecting the interests of horsemen and the future of live racing and for these reasons we oppose the proposed changes.”

Herb Oster, executive director of the FTHA, told Horse Racing Nation he saw no reason his organization shouldn’t support the effort.

“We either could have blocked it or blessed it, and we decided to bless it,” he said, “because in that case, if they do decouple, we have a deal with them to increase our purses, increase the money we spend on aftercare and increase our workers compensation program, the premium for our workers compensation program. So if they went ahead and decoupled and we weren’t with them, we would have lost that.”

Oster dismissed concerns that the amended legislation clears the way for development of the Gulfstream property.

“They (1/ST Racing) have long-range plans to build a standalone casino and a hotel on the property,” Oster said. “And they were looking for private investors and we were told that a problem with that is that a lot of the private investors don’t want to be in partnership with the horsemen. So that’s why, if we stepped out of the picture, they could raise a lot of money to build what they want to build back here.”

He also wasn’t concerned that the change could be the beginning of the end of Thoroughbred racing in South Florida.

“Racing could go away any day. They could decide tomorrow to close the track down, correct? But we hope that by doing this, we’ll save racing because we’re giving Gulfstream Park, Stronach, the flexibility to make major investments in their property and preserve racing. I mean, there’s no guarantee that racing will race year-round. There’s no guarantee that racing will continue. It’s their bat and ball, right? So we really decided that we have faith in them, and right or wrong, we’re not going to block it.”

He acknowledged that many in the industry might not have such confidence in 1/ST Racing because recent moves such as the closure of Golden Gate Fields.

“If I wasn’t where I am, I might be suspicious also, but you’ve got to throw your hands up at a certain point because there’s nothing we could do about it. Really, nothing we could do about it. (If) we want to go to Tallahassee and block them, they’re going to get it done anyhow. I think they have more firepower than we do, and if it gets done without us, we’re up the creek without a paddle, so to speak.”

Trainer Joe Orseno, outgoing president of the FTHA, told HRN the support of the association is inconsequential.

“If they want to decouple, if they want to close their doors tomorrow, that’s what people have to understand,” he said. “They could stop racing here tomorrow if they wanted and sell the place for $2 billion and walk away. So if they want to decouple, that’s something that they’re going to try and do, but they’re going to go to Tallahassee, and they’re going to lobby and they’re going to do all the work. The horsemen are not going to Tallahassee. They’re not doing anything. They’re going to just sit back and watch.”

Orseno, whose exit as FTHA president will be “made official Jan. 22 when they vote on a new one,” said his personal opinion is that 1/ST will continue racing at Gulfstream.

The change would allow “1/ST to pursue necessary opportunities for development at Gulfstream Park,” the company said in the release. “The agreement ensures purse revenues are unaffected and provides for additional contributions by Gulfstream Park to horsemen’s workers’ compensation premiums and meaningful increases to Thoroughbred aftercare efforts in Florida.”

1/ST president Stephen Screnci, a former president of the FHTA, said in the release that the amendments “will provide the necessary foundation to support an economically sensible plan to protect year-round racing at Gulfstream Park.”

Paulick Report noted that similar legislation passed in 2021 led to the closing of Pompano Park harness track and the end of staged quarter-horse match races at Hialeah Park.

Churchill Downs operated a casino at the former Calder Race Course while paired with a jai-alai license at the time, contributing more than $9 million annually to Thoroughbred purses at Gulfstream Park, according to Paulick Report. Decoupling eliminated that revenue stream. Greyhound racing was eliminated in 2018, Paulick Report noted, but South Florida’s dog tracks retained their slots licenses and gained an advantage over Gulfstream Park because they did not have to divert revenue to support racing.

Adding confusion to the mix, the 1/ST news release and the language to be struck from the legislation refer to the FTHA as the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.

Hamelback said in his statement, “the NHBPA wishes to clarify that the Gulfstream horsemen’s association is not a national HBPA affiliate. While this association had previously been an affiliate, it agreed to discontinue the use of the name ‘horsemen’s benevolent and protective association.’ “