north-florida-horsemens-association &laquo; WordPress.com Tag Feed http://en.wordpress.com/tag/north-florida-horsemens-association/ Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "north-florida-horsemens-association" Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:20 +0000 http://en.wordpress.com/tags/ en <![CDATA[State of Florida Overstepped Authority on “Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing” Says FHBPA Executive Director Kent Stirling in Florida Voices "My Turn" Column]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/06/27/state-of-florida-overstepped-authority-on-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-says-fhbpa-executive-director-kent-stirling-in-florida-voices-my-turn-column/ Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:11:57 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/06/27/state-of-florida-overstepped-authority-on-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-says-fhbpa-executive-director-kent-stirling-in-florida-voices-my-turn-column/
By Kent Stirling, Executive Director, Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association

State Overstepped Authority on “Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing”

A continued final hearing was held this week on the propriety of the state awarding a racing license to Gretna Racing LLC for a brand new form of gambling it calls “pari-mutuel barrel racing.”

Nearly 450,000 horsemen in eight Florida and national organizations have agreed that the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering overstepped its regulatory authority and created an unpromulgated rule in awarding the license to Gretna Racing.

Normally, the introduction of a new gambling product into the market would be enabled with the passage of legislation, followed by subsequent regulatory hearings in which public input would be provided and considered.  With “pari-mutuel barrel racing,” none of that process occurred.

Now enabled to minimally meet Florida live racing requirements for poker and slot machine licensing through “pari-mutuel barrel racing,” other Florida pari-mutuel permit-holders are in line to leverage this new gambling product to acquire slot machines without conducting legitimate horse racing.

Of paramount concern to Florida’s racing industry, “pari-mutuel barrel racing” plummets the need for approximately 2,000 horses at a typical racetrack to just eight per day, of which the same eight horses can, and have been used over and over again, while the card rooms stay open 365 days a year.  Legitimate horse racing is documented to employ over 50,000 Floridians per year who produce over $2.2 billion in statewide economic impact.

The implications of allowing ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ to decimate the enormous economic impact of Florida’s heretofore successful horse racing and breeding industry are dire. The State of Florida cannot afford to allow clever lawyering and loopholes to destroy its internationally known horse racing and breeding industry in this manner.

Kent Stirling is executive director of the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, which comprises over 6,000 Thoroughbred horsemen. He can be reached at floridahorsemen@gmail.com.

 

 

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We put newspapers first for a reason. We expect to help amplify their voices and be a partner in holding government accountable. An untold story in the earthquake that’s rocked newspapers is the toll it’s taken on editorial boards. Many are a third their size from just a few years ago. Yet remaining editors and publishers are just as passionate about providing readers an interesting array of perspectives.
]]> <![CDATA[Gretna Racing LLC Co-Owner and Former Gulfstream Park Attorney David Romanik Deposed in Florida Taxpayer-Funded Litigation to Subsidize and Protect Failure of "Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing"]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/04/05/gretna-racing-llc-co-owner-and-former-gulfstream-park-attorney-david-romanik-deposed-in-florida-taxpayer-funded-litigation-to-subsidize-and-protect-failure-of-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing/ Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:27:54 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/04/05/gretna-racing-llc-co-owner-and-former-gulfstream-park-attorney-david-romanik-deposed-in-florida-taxpayer-funded-litigation-to-subsidize-and-protect-failure-of-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing/
  • To access the complete dockets for Taxpayer-Funded Litigation to Protect Gretna Racing LLC’s “Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing,” and the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” Retaliatory Nuicance Case, which is also forcing the State of Florida to expend taxpayer dollars t0 defend Gretna Racing in drawn-out litigation, scroll down.
  • Click here to read the Tampa Tribune Commentary on the “Gretna Loophole” that Hamilton Downs Jai Alai plans to exploit.

    • From The Florida Current

    Gretna Racing partner David Romanik deposed in barrel racing case

    By Gray Rohrer, 04/04/2012 – 04:58 PM

    www.thefloridacurrent.com
     
    David Rominik, a partner in Gretna Racing LLC, the group that received a license from state regulators last year allowing them to conduct barrel horse races, was deposed Wednesday in Ocala as part of an administrative court case in which quarter horse racing groups are seeking to invalidate the license.

    The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the American Quarter Horse Association are fighting the license because they contend the new form of pari-mutuel license is a way of minimizing the costly overhead involved in racing quarter horses and thoroughbreds. An administrative court judge will hear the case in Tallahassee next week.

    In barrel racing, bettors wage money on which horse has fastest time through a course on a rodeo-like track set up with barrels. Horses race one at a time in timed events, as opposed to traditional horse racing in which several horses race to the finish line.

    The groups contend that the license issued by the state’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering constitutes an unpromulgated rule without statutory sanction. Gretna Racing, however, has countered that FQHRA and AQHA are merely trying to solidify their “monopoly” on agreements with existing horse tracks for prize and purse money, freezing out the newly formed North Florida Horsemen’s Association.

    Attempts to reach Gretna Racing officials Wednesday were unsuccessful. But in response to an attempt by the FQHRA to get a court to grant a stay of the license last year, their lawyers noted that “Florida law has never defined the terms ‘horse race’ or ‘horse racing’ . . . undoubtedly because these words, since the founding of our country, have consistently been interpreted to mean simply a contest between two or more horses racing against each other or against time.”

    Meanwhile, the NFHA, which the other quarter horse groups contend is a front organization for Romanik and fellow Gretna Racing partner Marc Dunbar, is challenging a purse agreement between the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association (which is affiliated with FQHRA) and the Hialeah Park Race Track. FQHRA officials say the challenge, which is set for an administrative court hearing in May, is simply a tactic to pressure the groups fighting the barrel racing license.

    “The agreement is fairly boilerplate,” said Michael Barry, a lawyer representing the quarter horse groups in the case. “It’s clearly been brought as a way to retaliate against the quarter horse associations for challenging the barrel racing license at Gretna.”

    A decision from the administrative court judge in the barrel racing license case is not expected until two months after the hearing.

    Reporter Gray Rohrer can be reached at grohrer@thefloridacurrent.com.

    Filed in: Gaming
    Tags: Pari-Mutuels

    Docket for Case No: 12-000896

    NORTH FLORIDA HORSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION, INC.
    vs.
    FLORIDA QUARTER HORSE BREEDERS AND OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., AND FLORIDA QUARTER HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION, INC., AND DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION, DIVISION OF PARI-MUTUEL WAGERING

    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 4/3/2012 Notice of Hearing (hearing set for May 22, 2012; 9:00 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 4/3/2012 Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/27/2012 Notice of Transfer.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/23/2012 Response to Initial Order filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/14/2012 Initial Order.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/13/2012 Agency referral filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/13/2012 Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing Involving Disputed Issues of Material Fact filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/13/2012 Motion to Dismiss filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/13/2012 Response to Motion to Dismiss filed.

    Docket for Case No: 11-005796RU

    FLORIDA QUARTER HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION, INC.; FLORIDA QUARTER HORSE BREEDERS, AND OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; AND GERALD KEESLING
    vs.
    DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION, DIVISION OF PARI-MUTUEL WAGERING

    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 4/3/2012 Respondent and Intervenors’ Joint Motion for More Definite Statement filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 4/2/2012 Notice of Agency Representative Deposition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/30/2012 Notice of Deposition (of D. Romanik) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/30/2012 Notice of Corporate Representative Deposition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/28/2012 Intervenor’s Notice of Taking Deposition (of S. Fisch) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/28/2012 Notice of Deposition (of M. Champion) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/28/2012 Notice of Depositions (of W. Cox, S. Dymmik, and B. Dickman) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 3/28/2012 Notice of Telephonic Deposition (of D. Donn) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 2/14/2012 Order Granting Continuance and Re-scheduling Hearing (hearing set for April 9 through 11, 2012; 9:00 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
    Not Available 2/14/2012 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 2/13/2012 Letter to Judge Sellers from M. Dunbar regarding request for telephone conference to re-schedule final hearing filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/30/2012 Order Granting Continuance and Re-scheduling Hearing (hearing set for March 28 through 30, 2012; 9:00 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/27/2012 Intervenor’s Notice of Stay filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/27/2012 Intervenor’s Memorandum of Law filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/27/2012 Amended Notice of Hearing (hearing set for February 2 and 3, 2012; 10:30 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL; amended as to starting time on first day of hearing).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/27/2012 Amended Notice of Hearing (hearing set for February 2, 3 and 6, 2012; 10:30 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL; amended as to dates of hearing).
    Not Available 1/27/2012 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Not Available 1/27/2012 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/24/2012 Notice of Telephonic Deposition (of D. Donn) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/24/2012 Notice of Telephonic Deposition (of M. Champion) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/20/2012 Notice of Depositions (of L.P. Stallings and C. Taylor) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/20/2012 Intervenor’s Notice of Taking Depositions (of T. Buck, D. Schauf, G. Keesling, and S. Fisch) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/19/2012 Notice of Deposition (of K. Allen) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/18/2012 Order Denying Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/18/2012 Intervenor’s Response to Petitioners’ First Request for Production of Documents filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/18/2012 Certificate of Service of Intervenor’s Answers to Petitioners’s First Interrogatories to Intervenor filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/13/2012 Notice of Serving Petitioners’ First Set of Interrogatories on Intervenor filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/13/2012 Petitioner’s First Request for Production of Documents to Intervenor filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/12/2012 Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Inc.’s Response to Respondent’s First Request for Admissions filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/12/2012 Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, Inc.’s Response to Respondent’s First Request for Admissions filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/12/2012 Notice of Service Respondent’s Answers to Petitioners’ First Set of Interrogatories filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/12/2012 Division’s Response to Petitioners’ First Request for Admissions filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/12/2012 Department of Business & Professional Regulation Division of Pari-mutuel Wagerings Response to Petitioners’ First Request for Production filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/11/2012 Petitioners’ Response in Opposition to Intervenor’s Motion to Dismiss filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/11/2012 Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Inc.’s Response to Respondent’s First Request for Production filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/11/2012 Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Associaiton, Inc.’s Response to Respondent’s First Request for Production filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/11/2012 Notice of Serving Petitioner’s Unverified Answers to Respondent, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Parimutiel Wagering’s First Interrogatories filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/11/2012 Notice of Serving Petitioner’s Unverified Answers to Respondent, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering’s First Interrogatories filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/10/2012 Intervenor’s Notice of Supplemental Authority filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/6/2012 Notice of Depositions (of J. Pouncey, J. Blackman, and J. Dillmore) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 1/3/2012 Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/20/2011 Notice of Scrivener’s Error filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/20/2011 Order Denying Request to Take Official Recognition and Motion to Abate.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/20/2011 Order Granting, in Part, and Denying, in Part, Motion to Dismiss Amended Petition Challenging Agency Statement Defined as a Rule and Denying Motion to Strike.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/19/2011 Petitioners’ Response in Opposition to Respondents’ Motions to Abate filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/19/2011 Division’s Joinder in Motion to Dismiss by Intervenor Florida Quarter Horse Track Association filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/16/2011 Motion to Dismiss Amended Petition and Motion to Strike Request for Unauthorized Relief filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/6/2011 Order Re-scheduling Hearing (hearing set for February 2 and 3, 2012; 9:00 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
    Not Available 12/6/2011 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/5/2011 The Intervenor’s Response in Opposition to Motion for Continuance filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/5/2011 Order Granting Continuance (parties to advise status by January 5, 2012).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/5/2011 Order Granting Motion for Leave to Amend Petition Challenging Agency Statement as Defined as a Rule.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/5/2011 Order Denying Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering`s Requests to Take Official Recognition.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/5/2011 Order Denying Division`s Motion to Stay Proceedings.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/2/2011 Intervenor’s Request to Take Official Recognition and Motion to Abate this Proceeding Resolution of Pending Appeal filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/2/2011 Motion for Continuance filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/2/2011 Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering’s Concurrence/Joinder in Intervenor’s Request for Official Recognition and Motion to Abate Pending Resolution of Pending Appeal filed.
    Not Available 12/2/2011 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 12/1/2011 Notice of Appearance (Marc Dunbar) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/30/2011 Letter to Judge Sellers from Cathy M. Sellers from D. Romanik in response to Order of November 29, 2011 filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/29/2011 The Intervenor’s Supplemental Response in Opposition to the Petitioners’ Motion to Amend Petition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/29/2011 Petitioners’ Response in Opposition to Motion to Stay Administrative Proceeding filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/29/2011 Notice of Telephonic Motion Hearing (motion hearing set for December 2, 2011; 2:00 p.m.).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/28/2011 Joinder in Motion to Dismiss filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/28/2011 The Intervenor’s Response to the Petitioners’ Motion to Amend Petition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/23/2011 Petitioners, Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Inc., and Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, Inc.,’s First Request for Admissions to Respondent, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/23/2011 Petitioners’ First Request to Take Official Recognition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/23/2011 Notice of Serving Petitioners’ First Set of Interrogatories on Defendant, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/23/2011 Petitioners’ First Request for Production of Documents to Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/23/2011 Motion Seeking Leave to Amend Petition Challenging Agency Statement Defined as a Rule filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering’s Third Request to Take Official Recognition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Respondent’s First Request for Admissions to Petitioner Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Inc. filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Respondent’s First Request for Admissions to Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, Inc. filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Respondent’s First Request for Production to Petitioner Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Inc. filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Respondent’s First Request for Production to Petitioner, Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, Inc. filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Notice of Service of Interrogatories filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/22/2011 Petitioners’ Response in Opposition to Division’s Preliminary Motion to Dismiss filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/21/2011 Order Granting Petition to Intervene.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/21/2011 Division’s Motion to Stay Proceedings filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/21/2011 Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering’s Second Request to Take Official Recognition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/18/2011 Notice of Appearance (Ralf Michels) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/16/2011 Notice of Hearing (hearing set for December 13 and 14, 2011; 9:00 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/16/2011 Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
    Not Available 11/16/2011 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/15/2011 Petition to Intervene (filed by Florida Quarter Horse Track Association, Inc.) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/15/2011 Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering’s First Request to Take Official Recognition filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/15/2011 Notice of Appearance (Charles Collette) filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/15/2011 Division’s Preliminary Motion to Dismiss filed.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/15/2011 Notice of Appearance (David Romanik) filed.
    Not Available 11/15/2011 CASE STATUS: Pre-Hearing Conference Held.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/14/2011 Rule Challenge transmittal letter to Liz Cloud from Claudia Llado copying Ken Plante and the Agency General Counsel.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/14/2011 Order of Assignment.
    Document in Adobe Acrobat Format 11/10/2011 Petition Challenging Agency Statement Defined as a Rule filed.
     
    ]]>         <![CDATA[Paulick Report Notes Florida Horsemen: Horse racing, state losing out on Gretna "pari-mutuel barrel racing" deal]]> http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2012/01/27/paulick-report-notes-florida-horsemen-horse-racing-state-losing-out-on-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-deal/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:24:31 +0000 unitedfloridahorsemen http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2012/01/27/paulick-report-notes-florida-horsemen-horse-racing-state-losing-out-on-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-deal/

    Noted Thoroughbred Racing Authority Ray Paulick Notes Financial Failure of Gretna Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing in Florida

    Florida Horsemen: Horse racing, state losing out on barrel racing deal

    by Paulick Report Staff | 01.26.2012 | 3:19pm
     
     
     
    Reprinted from The Paulick Report:  An international on-line horse racing publication by noted Thoroughbred racing authority Ray Paulick  
     

    The controversial Gretna barrel racing venue in North Florida isn’t exactly blowing the turnstiles off their hinges.  According to figures from the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, the first month of pari-mutuel barrel racing produced a handle of $30,312.  That’s $1,500 per day – or $200 per race.

    Below is a press release from the United Florida Horsemen, a group which continues to fight the licensing of barrel racing operations as a way to secure other forms of gambling, such as slots and card rooms.

    Airdrie Stud

    Together with former third-generation Gulfstream Park attorney David Romanik, Gulfstream Park lobbyist Marc Dunbar is the part-owner of Gretna Racing, LLC, which is causing a deliberate horse racing industry decimation and dramatic loss of State revenue by having unilaterally introduced “pari-mutuel barrel racing” in North Florida.  This outright mockery of Florida law is enabled by these individuals’ own non-profit corporation known as the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association.”

    Because the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” is controlled by Gretna Racing owners Dunbar and Romanik, revenues from Gretna’s cardrooms and, ultimately, slot machines, can easily be funneled back to their self-owned Gretna Racing, LLC, not distributed to the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” members who have unwittingly signed away their State and Federal purse negotiating rights (copy of the NFHA “Pledge” is attached).  These unsuspecting horsemen and women don’t realize that their rights to Gretna Racing’s revenues would otherwise be ensured under both Florida law and the Federal Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, the intent of which was never to have tracks own their own horsemen’s unions, since without ensuring lucrative purses to attract competitors, horse racing of any kind ceases to be a proper economic driver and job creator for any state.

    If legitimate Quarter Horse racing sanctioned by the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (“FQHRA”) was taking place at Gretna Racing instead, these horsemen’s interests would otherwise be lawfully protected.

    What’s worse, the irony is that legitimate Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association sanctioned Quarter Horse racing at Hialeah Park is out-earning Gretna “pari-mutuel barrel racing” by 99.1 percent, as reported to the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.  Gretna only pays $19.64 per day in pari-mutuel taxes.

    With only 36 horses needed to complete Gretna’s entire “pari-mutuel barrel racing” meet, versus nearly 1,000 that are stabled right now at Hialeah Park, the FQHRA’s success in turn, spurs economic development and job creation in both the racing and breeding industries since that revenue is properly shared with horsemen according to State and Federal law,  thanks to the FQHRA.  As further evidence, Hialeah’s legitimate Quarter Horse meet has 803 licensed pari-mutuel employees registered at its facility, whereas Gretna Racing has only 38 comparable licensees.  Documented attendance at Hialeah Park averages 4,100 per day.  The Associated Press and other major media reported Gretna Racing to attract only 20-50 people per day.

    But the fact is, Dunbar and Romanik are actually now profiting at Gretna Racing from the very same business plan that they, themselves are suing the law-abiding horsemen’s associations for.  During 2011, Dunbar and Romanik launched a spurious lawsuit against the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders’ and Owners’ Association in which they claim damage from what the Florida Legislature ordained these statutory organizations to do:  Protect horsemen’s rights.

    Nearly 450,000 members of United Florida Horsemen feel that the Florida Legislature should not support or negotiate with any person or entity that is currently engaged in a lawsuit designed to destroy horsemen’s livelihoods through self-dealing by means of dummy, self-owned horsemen’s associations designed exclusively to funnel pari-mutuel, card room and slot machine profits back to the track owners, rather than to properly disburse it to horsemen according to law. 

     
    Tags:  Horse Racing,  pari-mutuel wagering,  racinos,  casinos,  Expanded Gaming,  expanded gambling,  Florida horse racing,  barrel racing,  Gretna racing,  United Florida Horsemen
    ]]>         <![CDATA[Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing's "North Florida Horsemen’s Association” Controlled by Gretna Racing, LLC Owners: Only in Florida Are Pari-Mutue​​ls Allowed to Own and Control Their Own Horsemen's Unions]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/01/25/pari-mutuel-barrel-racings-north-florida-horsemens-association-controlled-by-gretna-racing-llc-owners-only-in-florida-are-pari-mutue%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bls-allowed-to-own-and-con/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:53:55 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2012/01/25/pari-mutuel-barrel-racings-north-florida-horsemens-association-controlled-by-gretna-racing-llc-owners-only-in-florida-are-pari-mutue%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bls-allowed-to-own-and-con/ Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing’s “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” Controlled by Gretna Racing, LLC Owners  

    State of Florida Cheated Out of Literally 99.1 Percent Of Revenue It Could Be Earning Through Legitimate Quarter Horse Racing

    Together with former third-generation Gulfstream Park attorney David Romanik, Gulfstream Park lobbyist Marc Dunbar is the part-owner of Gretna Racing, LLC, which is causing a deliberate horse racing industry decimation and dramatic loss of State revenue by having unilaterally introduced “pari-mutuel barrel racing” in North Florida.  This outright mockery of Florida law is enabled by these individuals’ own non-profit corporation known as the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association.”

    Because the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” is controlled by Dunbar and Romanik, revenues from Gretna’s cardrooms and, ultimately, slot machines, can easily be funneled back to their self-owned Gretna Racing, LLC, not to the “North Florida Horsemen’s Association” members who have unwittingly signed away their State and Federal purse negotiating rights.  These unsuspecting horsemen and women don’t realize that their rights to Gretna Racing’s revenues would otherwise be ensured under both Florida law and the Federal Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, the intent of which was never to have tracks own their own horsemen’s unions, since without ensuring lucrative purses to attract competitors, horse racing of any kind ceases to be a proper economic driver and job creator for any state.

    If legitimate Quarter Horse racing sanctioned by the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (“FQHRA”) was taking place at Gretna Racing instead, these horsemen’s interests would otherwise be protected.  What’s worse, the irony is that legitimate Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association sanctioned Quarter Horse racing at Hialeah Park is out-earning Gretna “pari-mutuel barrel racing” by 99.1 percent, as reported to the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.  Gretna Racing only pays $19.64 per day in pari-mutuel taxes.

    With only 36 horses needed to complete Gretna’s entire “pari-mutuel barrel racing” meet, versus nearly 1,000 that are stabled right now at Hialeah Park, the FQHRA’s success, in turn, spurs economic development and job creation in both the racing and breeding industries, since that revenue is properly shared with horsemen according to State and Federal law,  thanks to the FQHRA.  As further evidence, Hialeah’s legitimate Quarter Horse meet has 803 licensed pari-mutuel employees registered at its facility, whereas Gretna Racing has only 38 comparable licensees.  Documented attendance at Hialeah Park averages 4,100 per day.  The Associated Press and other major media reported Gretna Racing to attract only 20-50 people per day.

    But the fact is, Dunbar and Romanik are actually now profiting at Gretna Racing from the very same business plan that they, themselves, are suing the law-abiding horsemen’s associations for.  During 2011, Dunbar and Romanik launched a spurious lawsuit against the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, in which they claim damage from what the Florida Legislature ordained these statutory organizations to do:  Protect horsemen’s rights.

    Nearly 450,000 members of United Florida Horsemen feel that the Florida Legislature should not support or negotiate with any person or entity that is currently engaged in a lawsuit designed to destroy horsemen’s livelihoods through self-dealing by means of dummy, self-owned horsemen’s associations designed exclusively to funnel pari-mutuel, card room and slot machine profits back to the track owners, rather than to properly disburse it to horsemen according to law.

    To view State of Florida documentation on the ownership of “North Florida Horsemen’s Association,” click here.

    The above information is based on reported Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering data.

    Florida Non Profit Corporation:  NORTH FLORIDA HORSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION, INC.
    Filing Information

    Document Number:  N09000005229
    FEI/EIN Number:  APPLIED
    Date Filed:  05/29/2009
    State:  FL
    Status:  ACTIVE
    Principal Address 215 SOUTH MONROE STREET, 2ND FLOOR TALLAHASSEE FL 32301-1839
    Mailing Address P.O. BOX 10095 TALLAHASSEE FL 32302-2095

    Registered Agent Name & Address:  DUNBAR, MARC W 215 SOUTH MONROE STREET, 2ND FLOOR TALLAHASSEE FL 32301-1839
    US Officer/Director Detail Name & Address Title D:  ROMANIK, DAVID S 215 SOUTH MONROE STREET, 2ND FLOOR TALLAHASSEE FL 32301-1839
    04/11/2011 — ANNUAL REPORT
    04/09/2010 — ANNUAL REPORT

    05/29/2009 — Domestic Non-Profit

    The United Florida Horsemen are:
    ·         National and Florida Barrel Horse Association (24,000 members)
    ·         American Quarter Horse Association (350,000 national members; 7,163 Florida members)
    ·         Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (439 members)
    ·         U.S. Trotting Association (25,000 members)
    ·         Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association (630 members)
    ·         Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (1,300 members)
    ·         National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (35,000 members)
    ·         Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (5,000 members)

    http://www.UnitedFloridaHorsemen.org
    http://www.FloridaHorsemen.com

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Legitimate Florida Quarter Horse Racing at Hialeah Park Posts All-Time, All-Sources Christmas Eve Handle of $381,751]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/29/legitimate-quarter-horse-racing-posts-all-time-all-sources-christmas-eve-handle-of-381751/ Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:00:19 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/29/legitimate-quarter-horse-racing-posts-all-time-all-sources-christmas-eve-handle-of-381751/ Hialeah, FL, December 24, 2011 – With all eight Christmas Eve races broadcast for wagering on TVG, Hialeah Park recorded an all-sources mutuel handle of $381,751 on Saturday December 24, a new all-time high for Quarter Horse racing at this historic South Florida racing emporium.

    The new high-water mark was over $75,000 more than the previous record handle, set during the 2010-2011 season.

    Quarter Horse racing in Florida has been guided to success by the State’s only lawfully recognized Quarter Horsemen’s association, the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (“FQHRA”).

    The FQHRA is dedicated to carrying out the high standards of the American Quarter Horse Association—an organization that has been in existence for hundreds of years and holds the humane treatment of horses among its highest principles. 

    FQHRA was formed to represent the people who have an interest in racing the American Quarter Horse in Florida in matters pertaining to business, property, and activities of the association.  One of the primary goals of the FQHRA is to ensure that the welfare of the American Quarter Horse is paramount and that every American Quarter Horse at all times be treated humanely and with dignity, respect and compassion.  The FQHRA is committed to promoting American Quarter Horse racing in Florida along with providing beneficial services to its members and to serve as a positive communication link between the members of the FQHRA and the American Quarter Horse Association.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Florida Governor Scott Tells Palm Beach Post’s Dara Kam That Lawmakers Should Shut Down Gretna Barrel Racing, Slots]]> http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/12/22/florida-governor-scott-tells-palm-beach-posts-dara-kam-that-lawmakers-should-shut-down-gretna-barrel-racing-slots/ Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:32:16 +0000 unitedfloridahorsemen http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/12/22/florida-governor-scott-tells-palm-beach-posts-dara-kam-that-lawmakers-should-shut-down-gretna-barrel-racing-slots/ In an interview with the Palm Beach Post’s Dara Kam yesterday, December 21, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott said “Lawmakers need to put an end to the uncertainty over the barrel racing and possible spread of it to other facilities.”

    The article is reprinted below.

    Scott: Lawmakers need to shut down barrel racing, slots

    by Dara Kam | December 21st, 2011

    Palm Beach Post “Post on Politics” Blog

    www.pbpost.com

    Gov. Rick Scott is calling on lawmakers to quickly close what he called a gray area in Florida law that allowed a Panhandle racetrack to get a permit for barrel racing and a card room and opened the door for slot machines.

    Scott also for the first time said he doesn’t believe lawmakers meant to include as a legitimate gambling activity when they passed laws regulating pari-mutuels.

    “It doesn’t appear to me that it was the intent of the law. They need to clear it up,” Scott told The Palm Beach Post this afternoon.

    Scott’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued the quarter horse permit to Gretna Racing – owned by the Alabama-based Poarch Creek Indians and gambling lawyers David Romanik and Marc Dunbar – last month. Regulators believed there was nothing in Florida law allowed them to deny the permit, now being challenged in court.

    Lawmakers need to put an end to the uncertainty over the barrel racing and possible spread of it to other facilities – a track in Hamilton County has applied for a barrel racing permit – Scott said.

    “It’s not fair to people who invest their dollars. It’s not fair to people who are supposed to enforce the law if the law’s not clear. So the legislature ought to clear it up whether that’s allowed or not,” He said.

    Scott said he wants the legislature to act quickly before voters in Gadsden County, where the Gretna track is located, go to the polls on Jan. 31 to vote on a referendum allowing slot machines at the casino.

    Voter approval of the referendum could threaten the state’s agreement with the Seminole Indians and cost Florida the $225 million the tribe gives annually. That agreement requires that slot machines be limited to pari-mutuels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Slots at tracks elsewhere in the state could blow up next year’s budget which relies on the Seminole cash, Scott said.

    “By not doing something, they’re making a decision that will put the Seminole compact at risk. I think they ought to clear it up ahead of time,” Scott said.

    http://www.postonpolitics.com/2011/12/scott-lawmakers-need-to-shut-down-barrel-racing-slots/comment-page-1/#comment-305140

    Dara KamDara Kam has covered the Capitol for more than a decade, first for the Associated Press and Gannett then for The Palm Beach Post for about five years. She never met a pair of fishnets she didn’t like and is still waiting for them to dim the lights in committee rooms so she can remove her shades.  Reach her at 850-570-1592 or dara_kam@pbpost.com.

    The United Florida Horsemen are:

    ·         National and Florida Barrel Horse Association (24,000 members)

    ·         American Quarter Horse Association (350,000 national members; 7,163 Florida members)

    ·         Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (439 members)

    ·         U.S. Trotting Association (25,000 members)

    ·         Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association (630 members)

    ·         Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (1,300 members)

    ·         National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (35,000 members)

    ·         Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (5,000 members)

    www.UnitedFloridaHorsemen.org

    ]]>         <![CDATA[State of Florida Using Taxpayer Dollars to Defend Gretna Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Unwanted Expansion of Gambling]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/12/state-of-florida-using-taxpayer-dollars-to-defend-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-unwanted-expansion-of-gambling/ Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:45:01 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/12/state-of-florida-using-taxpayer-dollars-to-defend-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-unwanted-expansion-of-gambling/  
    While the State of Florida grapples with a $2 billion budget deficit, one of its top regulatory agencies is simultaneously expending untold taxpayer funds to escalate and exacerbate a costly legal battle to defend the expansion of gambling, to which Florida’s top-ranking state legislators have repeatedly voiced their increasing opposition during the past several weeks.
     
    Just last week, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation released dozens of pages of publicly-funded litigation designed to defend the very situation that the Florida Legislature is now vigorously debating how to curtail. 
     
    With the Cabinet members now having publicly declared their opposition to the expansion of gambling through destination resorts, the State of Florida’s attitude toward the unfettered proliferation of gambling has been greatly clarified. 
     
    But, to the chagrin of its sponsors, the intent of the would-be destination resort legislation’s proposed gaming commission had already been unexpectedly usurped by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DPPR’s) highly questionable and unilateral award of a racing license to Gretna Racing LLC.  As expected, the dubious license was ultimately used for purpose of introducing “pari-mutuel barrel racing.” Constituting a brand new gambling product, the license was awarded without enabling legislation, proper regulatory hearings or public input.   As expected, Gretna Racing officials immediately used their new license to secure a slot machine referendum in Gadsden County—a loophole-laden legal maneuver that quickly brought copycat requests from other small pari-mutuel permitholders.
     
    So outraged were top legislative leaders at Gretna Racing’s actions that, in a Senate Committee on Regulated Industries workshop last week, some called for the need to solve the Gretna Racing problem before taking up the destination resort bills.
     
    “As the people’s regulator, it is unconscionable that the DBPR is using the public dime to finance protracted litigation to protect its unilateral expansion of gambling, when the Legislature is making it quite clear that this is not the direction it wants for the State of Florida,” remarked Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA) Executive Director Kent Stirling.
     
    “What amazes me is that the State of Florida is actually finance failure by strangling off what could be thousands of jobs and exponentially greater wagering if Gretna Racing were to simply have adhered to legitimate Quarter Horse racing,” added FHBPA President Phil Combest, who also noted the startling disparity in opening day handle between Gretna Racing ($2,581) and Gulfstream Park ($4,837,605—constitutes a 22% increase for Gulfstream over the comparable day last season).  These numbers were generated literally within two days of one another.  The comparison that the Gulfstream Park and Gretna Racing facilities were the same as one another was made on December 2 by former Gulfstream Park attorney-turned-Gretna Racing Developer David Romanik in an interview with internationally known horse racing writer Ray Paulick.
     
    Combest reminded that Florida regulations stipulate that pari-mutuel permitholders must demonstrate that they can protect the flow of revenue to the State.  “So we’re killing the revenue we could have had with legitimate racing, killing jobs in the horse racing industry, hammering the gravestones with taxpayer-funded litigation and paying Florida legislators to contemplate the whole thing,” he said.  “To me, that’s the real government waste.”

    ]]>         <![CDATA[United Florida Horsemen: Time for court to stop Gretna "pari-mutuel barrel racing" mockery; it should send alarm bells throughout our regulatory, legislative and judicial system that the State of Florida is standing idly by while its taxpayer-funded pari-mutuel regulators are vigorously defending their unilateral sanction of ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ and sham horsemen’s organizations created by Gretna Racing and Hamilton Downs to shade their farcical activities ]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/01/united-florida-horsemen-time-for-court-to-stop-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-mockery-it-should-send-alarm-bells-throughout-our-regulatory-legislative-and-judicial-system-that-the-state-of-f/ Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:12:50 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/12/01/united-florida-horsemen-time-for-court-to-stop-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-mockery-it-should-send-alarm-bells-throughout-our-regulatory-legislative-and-judicial-system-that-the-state-of-f/ The United Florida Horsemen, which comprises nearly 450,000 Florida and national horsemen, including the National Barrel Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association, issued the following statement on today’s December 1, 2011 opening of “pari-mutuel barrel racing” at Gretna Racing, LLC:

    “It is time for the court system to finally put a stop to the shenanigans going on in Gretna.  If there was any remaining doubt, the revelation yesterday that a Florida pari-mutuel regulator involved in approving the infamous ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ for Gretna Racing, LLC was planning to go to work for the very business he regulated and helped to get licensed should indicate to all of Florida’s public officials that it is time to pause and ask questions, rather than celebrate what others are describing as an ‘outright scam.’

    It is a total embarrassment to the Sunshine State, with its ‘Government in the Sunshine,’ that the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering has completely evaded any public scrutiny or accountability and gotten away with its actions.  The Division has denied every request for a fair hearing on the issue and, to this day, refuses to be held accountable for its decisions.  The Division’s lawyers are too busy creating legal roadblocks to the public’s effort to find out the truth behind the barrel racing sham. 

    The cruel irony of today’s ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ opening is that it is actually designed to replace jobs with slot machines, rather than grow our economy through the recognized benefits of legitimate horse racing.  Because the City of Gretna’s economic development benchmark started near zero, its impoverished people don’t realize the economic development that could otherwise happen there with legitimate Quarter Horse racing and the thousands more jobs and prosperity it would bring, as opposed to the predatory slot machines that will now outnumber people, while concurrently killing Florida horse racing industry jobs throughout the State.

    With such scrutiny being placed on ethics at all levels of government, it should send alarm bells throughout our regulatory, legislative and judicial system that the State of Florida is standing idly by while its taxpayer-funded pari-mutuel regulators are vigorously defending their unilateral sanction ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ and sham horsemen’s organizations created by Gretna Racing and Hamilton Downs to shade their farcical activities.

    It is time for the courts to step in and either stop, or call time-out on these rogue and illegal actions before it’s too late.”

    For more information, contact:

    • Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association:   Kent Stirling, Executive Director (305) 628-2989 or khs0813@bellsouth.net
    • Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and Florida Quarter Horse Breeders’ and Owners’ Association:  Dr. Steve Fisch, DVM (850) 510-9650 or sfischDVM@avsequinehospital.com
    • Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners Association:  Dr. Phil Matthews, President at phil@matthewsoffice.net
    ]]>         <![CDATA[Gretna Racing Yields No Directory Assistance Listing, No Wagering Information Just One Day Before "Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing" Opening ]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/30/gretna-racing-yields-no-directory-assistance-listing-no-wagering-information-just-one-day-before-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-opening/ Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:15:12 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/30/gretna-racing-yields-no-directory-assistance-listing-no-wagering-information-just-one-day-before-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-opening/ Florida Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Set to Begin Dec. 1

    by: Jim Freer
    November 30 2011

    www.BloodHorse.com

    Gretna Racing is preparing to open Florida’s first pari-mutuel barrel racing meet on Dec. 1 with 11 races in a head-to-head bracket format.

    The Gretna, Fla., facility’s Web site shows that opening day purses will be $2,000. But as of the morning Nov. 30, only limited information was readily available on the types of wagering, procedures for drug testing, names of stewards, and other operations of the controversial Gretna meet that will have 40 racing programs through Jan. 15, 2012.

    On Nov. 29, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering (DPMW) was still seeking final clarification on the types of wagering at Gretna.

    Two top officials of Gretna Racing did not return phone calls from The Blood-Horse on Nov. 29. On that day, a directory assistance operator could not find any listings for Gretna Racing or several other names associated with the facility.

    Meanwhile, two Quarter Horse associations that were unable to prevent Gretna Racing from starting its race meet are moving ahead with a state administrative complaint and plan to file a lawsuit that they hope will invalidate the racing license of Gretna Racing.

    The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association likely will file a suit within several days in the Florida court system’s First District Court of Appeal, their Tallahassee-based attorney Michael Barry said on Nov. 29.

    Defendants would be the Florida DPMW and its parent Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

    On Oct. 19, the Florida DPMW issued Gretna Racing a license under its Quarter Horse permit and Gretna Racing plans to use the license for pari-mutuel barrel racing http. The Augusta, Ga.-based National Barrel Horse Association is not aware of any other pari-mutuel barrel racing in the United States.

    In early October, the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association sent letters to the Florida DPMW and its parent, asking them to reject Gretna Racing’s application. The two Thoroughbred groups and the two Quarter Horse groups maintain that pari-mutuel barrel racing is not authorized under the state’s laws.

    However, Gretna Racing’s plan includes having Quarter Horses as the majority of horses in its barrel races and thus meets a state law’s requirement for the breeds that can be used under a Quarter Horse license.

    The North Florida Horsemen’s Association, which is not affiliated with the two Florida Quarter Horse associations, has an agreement to provide horses to Gretna Racing.

    Florida HBPA president Phil Combest said his association hopes the Florida legislature next year will amend state laws with a more precise definition of Quarter Horse racing.

    The Florida HBPA and its allied associations maintain that Gretna Racing is attempting to use barrel racing as a low-cost way to be eligible for a potentially lucrative poker room. All Florida pari-mutuels are eligible to have poker rooms that can be open 365 days a year.

    Gretna Racing has applied with the Florida DPMW for a poker license, which can be approved after one racing card.

    The Web site for Gretna Racing, also known as Creek Entertainment Gretna, lists poker among its events. The site shows total race purses of $2,000 for its opening day and of either $2,000 or $4,000 for 18 other race cards through Dec.16. On most race days, primarily Fridays through Sundays, Gretna will have race cards at 1 p.m. and at 5 p.m. EST.

    Hamilton Downs Horsetrack in Jasper, Fla., is the only other holder of a Quarter Horse racing permit that has applied for a license under which it would hold pari-mutuel barrel racing.

    As of Nov. 29, the Florida DPMW was still reviewing the application Hamilton Downs filed on Nov. 4. Hamilton’s application said it plans to begin racing on Dec. 10, 2011.

    Gretna is in Gadsden County. On Jan. 31, 2012 there will be a referendum in that county, open to all its voters, on the question of whether Gretna Racing will be able to have a casino with slot machines.

    The two Quarter Horse associations are planning their lawsuit following the Florida DPMW’s Nov. 18 dismissal of their request for that agency to reverse its decision on Gretna Racing’s license or seek an administrative hearing on questions of the legality of that license. The Florida DPMW said it determined that the two groups did not establish legal standing or establish material facts needed to comply with various rules for requesting a hearing by the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings.

    The Florida DPMW decision left the Quarter Horse groups with the options of filing an amended appeal or a lawsuit

    “We intend to file a lawsuit,” said Barry, a partner in the Tallahassee law firm Rutledge, Ecenia & Purnell.

    The suit would contend that the Florida DPMW does not have authority to issue a license under which pari-mutuel barrel racing will be conducted, Barry said. In addition, the suit would contend that the Florida DPMW approved Gretna Racing’s license application in a shorter timeframe than allowed under Florida laws.

    In a separate action, the Division of Administrative Hearings has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 13-14 on the two Quarter Horse associations’ contention that the Florida DPMW does not have authority to issue the license it awarded Gretna Racing.

    A ruling is likely next January or February. The parties would have the prospect of appealing with a lawsuit in state courts.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[After Gretna Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing, "Pari-Mutuel Pigeon Racing, Manatee Drifting" Not Far Off, Daily Racing Form's Eclipse Award Winning Writer Jay Hovdey Says]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/18/after-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-pari-mutuel-pigeon-racing-manatee-drifting-not-far-off-daily-racing-forms-eclipse-award-winning-writer-jay-hovdey-says/ Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:14:51 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/18/after-gretna-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-pari-mutuel-pigeon-racing-manatee-drifting-not-far-off-daily-racing-forms-eclipse-award-winning-writer-jay-hovdey-says/
     

    Hovdey: Why stop with barrel racing in Florida?

    11/16/2011
     
    A north Florida county has received a permit from the Florida State Racing and Wagering Board to offer parimutuel barrel racing, which could eventually lead to a casino.

    “The Quarter Horse crowd claims that lowly barrel racing is just a cheaper vehicle for Gretna Racing to qualify for poker rooms and slot machines. Of course, the Thoroughbred folks said the same thing about Quarter Horse tracks. They’re both right. Gambling conglomerates, if they could get slots and card rooms and table games, would happily reduce their parimutuels to hermit crab races.”

    – columnist Fred Grimm, Miami Herald

    The technicality of establishing some sort of parimutuel endeavor in order to legally justify the presence of casino gaming reached a new bend in the road recently when a north Florida county was granted a permit to offer wagering on barrel racing, which would set the stage for an accompanying casino, if approved by referendum next January.

    There has been the predictable screeching from other horse interests accusing a certain barrel racing group of allowing themselves to be used by a casino company as a quick and dirty way to get a foot in the door. This would differ, of course, from the slow, stately march toward respectable casinos in places like New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, and Louisiana, where slot machines now drive the engines for all manner of racing breeds.

    But why not barrels, too? In the modern climate of slots first, questions later, how can anyone find anything inherently wrong with barrel racing as a betting proposition? They go ’round and ’round real fast and it’s over in a hurry. Sometimes a horse falls down, and sometimes a rider falls off. Sound familiar Thoroughbred fans? The riders even wear bright shirts and big buckles, and they are not as a rule encumbered by such nanny-state niceties as helmets and protective vests.

    For the most part, every round of barrel racing is a variation on a very narrow theme – just as six-furlong races at Charles Town in November can start to look a lot alike – but the sport is intimate, and there’s always a chance one of the horses will go to buck-jumping or sunfishing, then tear off for the barn while shedding his rider against the railing of a pipe-pen chute. Who wouldn’t want to bet on that?

    It is perfectly understandable that representatives of the Florida Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred industries would be vocally opposed to the broadening parimutuel racing to a discipline more closely associated with the rodeo, just to secure a casino. What next – polo?

    In case anyone has failed to notice, however, there persists a nagging but direct relationship between what is sown and what is reaped. Since the “slots as savior” ethic has become pervasive, no one should ever be shocked at what flows from the well.

    In granting parimutuel licenses to barrel racing groups, the Florida State Racing and Wagering Board contends it is acting in accordance with legislation that limits the expansion of casino-style gambling to sites that host some kind of horse racing. But as columnist Fred Grimm suggests, the goalposts are portable. If all it takes is a few bucks chucked into a legislator’s campaign fund to push through a bill – think of the jobs, the children, the troops! – the imagination reels at the possibilities for variations on casino enabling parimutuel competition. Could one of these news bulletins be far down the line?

    ALBANY, N.Y. – The momentum of the casino-fueled New York Thoroughbred industry has been placed in jeopardy by the looming prospect of legalized betting on pigeon racing.

    Pushed by the entrepreneurial avian group Wingnuts, a bill to broadly expand eligibility for a casino gambling license has been adopted by the New York Assembly on a vote of 140-4 (one abstention, three muggings), with the lone restriction that a casino site may not offer any sort of inter-species competition.

    “We’re good with that,” said Terry Boyd Malloy, Wingnuts executive director and owner of Coops R Us supplies. “All we want is a chance to go big time with the birds.”

    It is estimated that pigeon racing, a time-honored New York pastime, could generate as much as $750 million a year in mutuel handle, according to government estimates, and untold billions from anticipated pigeon-casino-related revenue.

    “This will cut the you-know-whats off any gains horse racing has made,” said Tony Mandible, a gaming industry analyst. “Which would you rather clean up after?”

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Rampant Development has green-lighted plans for the $385 million Vache de la Mer Gaming project to accommodate the proposed combination slots complex and adjacent parimutuel betting venue in the coastal community of Cape Dismal.

    In addition to the 5,000 slot machines earmarked for the project – which pencils out at a rate of 13 machines for every adult Cape Dismal resident – Vache de la Mer also will feature a million gallon “Aquarena” to present what is undoubtedly the nation’s first officially sanctioned program of parimutuel manatee racing.

    “It’s more like manatee drifting,” said Baxter Flange, president of the Florida Sea Cowboys Association. “Don’t be looking for nothing like the razzle-dazzle of barrel racing, or bat burning. You can put down a bet on your favorite cow, go out for barbecue, spend an hour at the slots, then come on back and the race is just getting interesting. Anyways, it’s got a place in the local culture. And except for the smell, it’s good family fun.”

    Local environmentalist Darcy Pescada led the unsuccessful opposition to the Vache de la Mer permitting process, citing concerns that the racing manatees would not be subject to the same rigorous drug testing programs in place to monitor Florida’s other parimutuel endeavors.

    “They’re testing barrel racers, Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, greyhounds, flamingos, and alligators,” Pescada complained. “You’re telling me someone wouldn’t try to hop a manatee if they could impact the outcome of a betting race? We’re talking about human nature here.”

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Gadsden County doesn't have the legal authority to expand gambling with Gretna slot vote, explains Gaming Authority Jack Skelding in Tallahassee Democrat]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/08/gadsden-county-doesnt-have-the-legal-authority-to-expand-gambling-with-gretna-slot-vote-explains-gaming-authority-jack-skelding-in-tallahassee-democrat/ Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:55:55 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/08/gadsden-county-doesnt-have-the-legal-authority-to-expand-gambling-with-gretna-slot-vote-explains-gaming-authority-jack-skelding-in-tallahassee-democrat/  Jack Skelding:  My View
     Re: “Jobs may carry vote on gambling”
    (Byron Dobson, Nov. 4).

    Published in the Tallahassee Democrat, November 8, 2011

    It may be true that Gadsden County residents will vote soundly in favor of gambling in the referendum scheduled for January. However, it is my opinion that under Florida law Gadsden County is without authority to authorize slot machine gaming. A positive vote on the referendum cannot create authority for the state to issue a slot license. The Gretna facility is authorized to operate pari-mutuel quarter horse racing, and it may be issued a poker room license in the future. Without further legislative authorization, racing and poker are the only gaming activities the facility may legally offer.

    Florida law states that slot machine gaming may be authorized outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties by a countywide referendum. However, any referendum  must be “held pursuant to a statutory or constitutional authorization after the effective date of this section …” (July 1, 2010). Before any countywide referendum may be held, the state must grant the county the authority to hold a slot referendum. The grant of authority must  occur after July 1, 2010, and no such authority has been given to Florida counties. Current law merely lays the groundwork for a future grant of authority.

    The proponents of slot machine gaming in Gadsden County may argue that the word “after” requires only that the referendum itself occur after July 1, 2010. This interpretation is not only legally incorrect, it leads to the absurd result that Gadsden County could cause the state to lose all of the money it currently receives pursuant to its gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

    In return for substantial payments to the state, the Seminole Tribe is granted the exclusive right to offer slot machine gaming in certain parts of Florida, including
    Gadsden County. The compact provides that if, after Feb. 1, 2010, slot machines are implemented outside of Miami-Dade and Broward County, the exclusivity provisions of the gaming compact are breached. A breach allows the Seminole Tribe to cease making its guaranteed payments to the state of $233 million per year, all of which is dedicated to educational funding.

    The law requiring a further grant of authority before a county may hold a slots referendum and the Seminole gaming compact were developed jointly by the governor and the Legislature. The state did not leave open the possibility that Gadsden County could unilaterally breach the Seminole gaming compact, causing the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars of state revenue. Only the Legislature can decide the future of gaming in Florida.

    Zoom

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Jack Skelding has practiced regulatory and legislative law in Tallahassee since 1971. Most recently, his practice has centered on pari-mutuel and gaming law. Contact him at
    jskelding@bplawfirm.net.

    Note: 

    Gretna Racing License Unlawfully Legalizes New Form of Florida Gambling: Legality of Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing, Validity of Gadsden Slot Referendum Challenged

    Gadsden County slot referendum based on illegal barrel racing; Florida Pari-Mutuel Division awards Gretna license with no enabling legislation, regulatory hearings or public input

    By authorizing a pari-mutuel wagering license to Gretna Racing, LLC, the State of Florida has unlawfully legalized an entirely new form of gambling, explained an administrative petition filed with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering on November 3, 2011. 

    In a unilateral move that was made with no legislative action, regulatory review or public hearings, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel wagering legalized an entirely new form of gambling that has never before been authorized or approved in Florida, the petition relates.  Instead of flat-track Quarter Horse racing, as the law intends, Gretna has indicated it will conduct pari-mutuel wagering on “barrel racing,” a timed rodeo event, which is widely understood to be an end-run attempt to bypass the State of Florida’s live racing requirements upon which the operation of a 365-day per year poker room and, ultimately, slot machines, are contingent.

    The petition is endorsed by nearly 450,000 Florida and national horsemen nationwide, including the:

    •           National and Florida Barrel Horse Association (24,000 members)

    •           American Quarter Horse Association  (350,000 national members; 7,163 Florida members)

    •           Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (439 members)

    •           U.S. Trotting Association (25,000 members)

    •           Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association (630 members)

    •           Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (1,300 members)

    •           National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (35,000 members)

    •           Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (5,000 members)

    According to the American Horse Council, each legitimate racehorse creates at least seven jobs.  Because Gretna’s planned barrel racing uses fewer horses per pari-mutuel performance than legitimate horse racing, the ultimate result is a widespread loss of Florida horse racing industry jobs, particularly in the breeding industry and agricultural sectors.

    Given the current intensity of State of Florida job-creation efforts, the State’s sanction of illegal barrel racing, resulting in the unwitting destruction of Florida’s $2.2 billion horse racing industry—an annual employer of 51,700 statewide—was noted as a travesty.

    Neither Gretna, nor the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering has publicly revealed the specifics of regulatory oversight that would apply to legitimate horse racing, such as jockey and trainer licensing, drug testing and identification of horses, and types of wagers and state accounting of wagering and purse allocations—regulations designed to both protect the betting public and create jobs.

    Further, although Gretna has never conducted legitimate flat-track Quarter Horse racing as the law intends, nor has it yet constructed a regulation flat-track during the years that have passed since its initial announcement several years ago that it would do so, the facility has scheduled its 41 days of “racing” to fall during the December 2011 and January 2012 time-span, so as to further leverage the law by technically meeting Florida’s two-year live racing requirement for slot machines within a mere two months.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Gretna Racing License Unlawfully Legalizes New Form of Florida Gambling: Legality of Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing, Validity of Gadsden Slot Referendum Challenged]]> http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/11/06/gretna-racing-license-unlawfully-legalizes-new-form-of-florida-gambling-legality-of-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-validity-of-gadsden-slot-referendum-challenged/ Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:59:11 +0000 unitedfloridahorsemen http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/11/06/gretna-racing-license-unlawfully-legalizes-new-form-of-florida-gambling-legality-of-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-validity-of-gadsden-slot-referendum-challenged/ Gadsden County slot referendum based on illegal barrel racing; Florida Pari-Mutuel Division awards Gretna license with no enabling legislation, regulatory hearings or public input

    By authorizing a pari-mutuel wagering license to Gretna Racing, LLC, the State of Florida has unlawfully legalized an entirely new form of gambling, explained an administrative petition filed with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering on November 3, 2011. 

    In a unilateral move that was made with no legislative action, regulatory review or public hearings, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel wagering legalized an entirely new form of gambling that has never before been authorized or approved in Florida, the petition relates.  Instead of flat-track Quarter Horse racing, as the law intends, Gretna has indicated it will conduct pari-mutuel wagering on “barrel racing,” a timed rodeo event, which is widely understood to be an end-run attempt to bypass the State of Florida’s live racing requirements upon which the operation of a 365-day per year poker room and, ultimately, slot machines, are contingent.

    The petition is endorsed by nearly 450,000 Florida and national horsemen nationwide, including the:

    •           National and Florida Barrel Horse Association (24,000 members)

    •           American Quarter Horse Association  (350,000 national members; 7,163 Florida members)

    •           Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (439 members)

    •           U.S. Trotting Association (25,000 members)

    •           Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association (630 members)

    •           Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (1,300 members)

    •           National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (35,000 members)

    •           Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (5,000 members)

    According to the American Horse Council, each legitimate racehorse creates at least seven jobs.  Because Gretna’s planned barrel racing uses fewer horses per pari-mutuel performance than legitimate horse racing, the ultimate result is a widespread loss of Florida horse racing industry jobs, particularly in the breeding industry and agricultural sectors.

    Given the current intensity of State of Florida job-creation efforts, the State’s sanction of illegal barrel racing, resulting in the unwitting destruction of Florida’s $2.2 billion horse racing industry—an annual employer of 51,700 statewide—was noted as a travesty.

    Neither Gretna, nor the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering has publicly revealed the specifics of regulatory oversight that would apply to legitimate horse racing, such as jockey and trainer licensing, drug testing and identification of horses, and types of wagers and state accounting of wagering and purse allocations—regulations designed to both protect the betting public and create jobs.

    Further, although Gretna has never conducted legitimate flat-track Quarter Horse racing as the law intends, nor has it yet constructed a regulation flat-track during the years that have passed since its initial announcement several years ago that it would do so, the facility has scheduled its 41 days of “racing” to fall during the December 2011 and January 2012 time-span, so as to further leverage the law by technically meeting Florida’s two-year live racing requirement for slot machines within a mere two months.

    Only Republican Gadsden residents will be allowed to vote on whether to approve Gretna’s slot machines on the January 31, 2012 Republican Presidential Preference Ballot.  The vast majority of Gadsden voters are Democrats.

     

    ]]>         <![CDATA[American Quarter Horse Association Refuses To Legitimize Gretna Casino Barrel Racing; Upholds Florida Law, Florida Horsemen Note]]> http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/11/04/american-quarter-horse-association-refuses-to-legitimize-gretna-casino-barrel-racing-upholds-florida-law-florida-horsemen-note/ Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:51:18 +0000 unitedfloridahorsemen http://unitedfloridahorsemen.org/2011/11/04/american-quarter-horse-association-refuses-to-legitimize-gretna-casino-barrel-racing-upholds-florida-law-florida-horsemen-note/  At a November 3, 2011 meeting in Oklahoma requested by the Poarch Creek Indian Tribe and Gretna Racing LLC, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) flatly refused to recognize the legitimacy of Gretna Racing LLC’s self-owned “North Florida Horsemen’s Association,” or its plan for “pari-mutuel barrel horse racing,” the legality of which is being challenged in an administrative petition that was filed the same day with the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.

    Gretna’s poker card room and intended slot machine parlor is based on its ownership of a Florida Quarter Horse racing pari-mutuel permit.  In lieu of legitimate Quarter Horse racing, Gretna intends to use its recent wagering license award from the State of Florida to run “pari-mutuel barrel racing” in an effort to cut its expenses through the jobs that it would otherwise have to create to hold real horse racing.

    Echoing the federal Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which protects the interests of competing horsemen in negotiations with track owners, as well as ensures continued the continued job-creating ability of the horse racing industry, Florida law also provides that, before poker rooms or slot machines can be operated, a legal agreement with the predominant horsemen’s association at that facility must be in place.   Lawful horsemen’s associations are independent trade groups, not track-owned shell corporations.

    By promulgating a “membership pledge” that would prevent unsuspecting Quarter Horse horse owners and competitors from negotiating with the track for their rightful share of purse monies, and would also prevent them from taking membership in any other horsemen’s organization, Gretna’s self-owned, self-created North Florida Horsemen’s Association seeks to create a monopoly situation that would bypass Florida law for the purpose of enabling card rooms and, ultimately, slot machines. 

    The AQHA, which has 7,163 Florida members and 350,000 members worldwide, records and preserves pedigrees of American Quarter Horses, while maintaining the integrity of the breed. The AQHA actively protects the American Quarter Horse by establishing and strictly enforcing rules that govern every AQHA-approved event in order to reflect the natural ability of the animal.

    The AQHA reiterated its commitment to lawful Florida horse racing by reiterating its support of the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and Florida Quarter Horse Breeders’ and Owners Association as the only lawful and statutory representative of the Florida Quarter Horse racing industry.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Florida Pari-Mutuel and Gadsden Casino Slot Gaming: Gretna Barrel Racing Does Not Qualify as Horse Racing or Pari-Mutuel Event, Florida Horsemen Explain]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/02/florida-pari-mutuel-and-gadsden-casino-slot-gaming-gretna-barrel-racing-does-not-qualify-as-horse-racing-or-pari-mutuel-event-florida-horsemen-explain/ Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:17:35 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/02/florida-pari-mutuel-and-gadsden-casino-slot-gaming-gretna-barrel-racing-does-not-qualify-as-horse-racing-or-pari-mutuel-event-florida-horsemen-explain/ “Barrel racing” is not defined as “horse racing” under Florida law: Opposition to Gretna Barrel Racing Balloons to Nearly One-Half Million Florida and National Horsemen
    Posted on November 2, 2011 by unitedfloridahorsemen

    The United Florida Horsemen, which comprises the organizations listed below, issued the following statement subsequent to the November 1, 2011 decision by the Gadsden County Commission to put a referendum on the January 31, 2012 Republican Presidential Ballot that would ask voters whether they want to approve slot machines at Gretna Casino:

    “We maintain that “barrel racing” is not defined as “horse racing” under Florida law.”

    •           National and Florida Barrel Horse Association (24,000 members)

    •           American Quarter Horse Association (350,000 national members; 7,163Floridamembers)

    •           Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (439 members)

    •           U.S. Trotting Association (25,000 members)

    •           Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association (630 members)

    •           Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (1,300 members)

    •           National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (35,000 members)

    •           Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (5,000 members)

    Real Horse Racing Employs More People

    Bona fide, legal horse racing simply creates more jobs than all slots, casinos and barrel racing gimmicks combined.

    Since a racetrack hosting 1,000 horses per season creates an average of 7,000 jobs,Floridahorse racing contributes to a documented 51,700 jobs and $2.2 billion annual economic impact.  These jobs include positions such as admissions personnel, mutuels clerks, track maintenance professionals, groundskeepers, security guards, concessions workers, track and state racing officials, executives, marketing and public relations professionals.  And that’s just the “frontside.”  On the average backstretch of a real racetrack, positions include incoming farm personnel, veterinarians, trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, grooms, hotwalkers, blacksmiths, feed and bedding distributors, equipment vendors, drivers, and even bookkeepers and chaplains.

    Legitimate horse racing inspires people to come toFloridafor its warm climate and the type of horse-friendly culture that has madeOcalaandMarionCountyworld famous.  There, breeders have set up the type of  rolling, picturesque farms that the people ofGadsdenCountyand the City ofGretnawere promised –the type of prestigious, family businesses that truly grow a racetrack into a community tradition.

    The Economics of True Horse Racing

    In traditional pari-mutuel horse racing, “purses” (prize money) are derived as a percentage of “handle” (amount of money wagered).  InFlorida, real Quarter Horse racing offers purses of nearly $4 million, which are monitored and prescribed by the protections of state and federal law.  In stark contrast,Gretna barrel racing will afford only an arbitrarily set amount of $38,000, which is not derived as a percentage of handle. 

    Under federal law, a track must enable participating horsemen to be part of the purse-setting process.  BecauseGretnaracing literally owns its own horsemen’s group, that safeguard is eliminated through a forced agreement.  That agreement eliminates members’ negotiation rights, which are also protected under federal law.

    Barrel Racing:  The Cheap Excuse for Slots

    Barrel racing events atGretnawill be conducted with two horses at a time rather than a field of horses.  Because single barrel horses typically run multiple events in short time periods, declaring a “race meet” of barrel racers literally requires only a fraction of the number of horses it would take to hold a real horse racing meet.  With fewer horses, track owners only need to make minimal accommodations for horses and their caretakers.  This translates into even fewer jobs created. 

    AtGretna’s facility, overnight stalls and accommodations have yet to be built.  Because the proposed barrel racing requires fewer horses and thereby less personnel, this effectively eliminates the seven jobs per horse (and the resultant economic infrastructure) with which real horse racing can legitimately benefit a community.

    In fact, the entire 41 days of Gretna Racing’s “meet” could actually be conducted with only 24 horses, over which no regulatory controls have been placed to ensure the integrity and uniformity of the race process, thus leaving the question of whether the public betting interest is protected.

     
    ]]>         <![CDATA[The Blood Horse "What's Going on Here?" Eric Mitchell: State of Florida is either on the cutting edge of the pari-mutuel sports industry or being manipulated to fatten the pockets of Gretna's few creative investors ]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/02/the-blood-horse-whats-going-on-here-eric-mitchell-state-of-florida-is-either-on-the-cutting-edge-of-the-pari-mutuel-sports-industry-or-being-manipulated-to-fatten-the-pockets-of-gretnas-few/ Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:51:37 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/11/02/the-blood-horse-whats-going-on-here-eric-mitchell-state-of-florida-is-either-on-the-cutting-edge-of-the-pari-mutuel-sports-industry-or-being-manipulated-to-fatten-the-pockets-of-gretnas-few/ Barrel Rolled – by Eric Mitchell

    01 Nov 2011 2:39 PM 1 Comment

     (Originally published in the October 29, 2011 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)
    By Eric Mitchell – @EJMitchellKy on Twitter

    By Eric Mitchell

    The state of Florida is either on the cutting edge of the pari-mutuel sports industry or being manipulated to fatten the pockets of a few creative investors.

    Last month the Florida Department of Pari-Mutuel Wagering gave approval for a company called Gretna Racing LLC to use a Quarter Horse racing permit to conduct pari-mutuel barrel racing at a venue in Gretna, Fla., a rural Panhandle town of 1,758 people northwest of Tallahassee. Gretna Racing is a partnership comprising Tallahassee attorney and Gulfstream Park lobbyist Marc Dunbar (10%), former Gulfstream Park president David Romanik (10%), Tallahassee attorney Paul McGee (10%), and the Poarch Creek tribe (70%), which is based in Alabama.

    In its application Gretna Racing said it plans to hold 40 barrel racing cards between Dec. 1, 2011, and Jan. 15, 2012. Gretna’s pari-mutuel barrel racing meet would be the first of its kind in the country.

    But that’s not all the permit allows. Any Florida pari-mutuel permit holder that conducts 90% of its approved performances a year can have a poker room that can be open 365 days a year. Gretna is taking it a step further and has just started pursuing the opportunity to offer slot machines as well. The company has approached the Gadsden County Commission about putting a referendum on the 2012 ballot asking voters to allow slot machines at any pari-mutuel business in Gadsden. Apart from the referendum, a pari-mutuel permit holder must run the minimum number of required events for at least two consecutive years before it can offer slot machines.

    Using rodeo events to activate a Quarter Horse racing permit continues to be a concern to the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association. Both groups see this as a low-cost alternative for permit holders to open card rooms and not provide any substantive support to the horse industry.

    “It looks like they will make a lot of money on a poker room without a lot going to the barrel racers,” said Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida HBPA. “This also could be very detrimental to the future of horse racing in Florida.”

    So where do the liberties one can take with a Quarter Horse racing permit stop? Why stop at barrel racing? Several timed rodeo events would likely qualify, such as pole bending or calf roping. All these events involve horses.

    And how does wagering on barrel racing work? Barrel racing is a timed event where the horse and rider follow a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels that form a triangle. Is this a win-place-show wager or can you have an exacta or trifecta composed of the top two or three finishers by time?

    Other questions involve medication. Rick Hardy with the National Barrel Racing Association, the nation’s largest barrel racing organization, said no drug testing is conducted at any of its events. Barrel horses are allowed to run on medications such as Bute and banamine. Hardy said testing has been discussed, but the expense is the biggest barrier.

    “We would have to pass the cost directly on to the competitor, and there doesn’t seem to be enough of an outcry or concern about it,” he said.
    It means we have the makings of a legalized wagering event and no idea if the horses competing have received substances, therapeutic or otherwise, that would enhance or hinder their performances.

    Too many questions.

    If some of these issues and concerns are resolved, then maybe Florida has cracked open the door to an entirely new pari-mutuel venture that could help build up the Quarter Horse industry, provide jobs and income to rural communities, and perhaps create another avenue for Thoroughbreds needing second careers. If not, then it appears the political machine has again been manipulated.

    Let’s hope against hope the state’s racing industry isn’t being hauled over a barrel.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Questionable Florida Pari-Mutuel License Award for North Florida Gretna Facility Barrel Racing To Be Used to Leverage Gadsden County Slot Casino Referendum Ballot Request this Tuesday, November 1]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/29/questionable-pari-mutuel-license-award-for-gretna-facility-barrel-racing-to-be-used-to-leverage-gasdsen-county-slot-casino-referendum-ballot-request-this-tuesday-november-1/ Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:47:53 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/29/questionable-pari-mutuel-license-award-for-gretna-facility-barrel-racing-to-be-used-to-leverage-gasdsen-county-slot-casino-referendum-ballot-request-this-tuesday-november-1/ This Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the Gadsden County Commission will consider a request by Gretna Racing, LLC to authorize a countywide referendum on allowing slot machines at the Creek Entertainment Gretna facility in Gretna, a small North Florida town with a population of less than 2,000. 

    To view the request, click here.

    If the Commission allows it, the referendum would be placed on the January 31, 2012 Republican Presidential Preference Ballot.   Most of Gretna’s residents are registered Democrats and 85 percent are African-American, with a median income of $27,000 per year. 

    Should the referendum ultimately be approved by Republican voters, it will make Gadsden County the third in Florida to approve Las Vegas-style slot machines. 

    James Dorris, CEO of PCI Gaming Authority, a company owned by the Alabama Poarch Creek Indians, will make the request on behalf of his partners, which include Gulfstream Park lobbyist Marc Dunbar and former Gulfstream Park attorney, David Romanik, who briefly served as track CEO. 

     “With its recent and questionable license award from the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, Gretna has deviously positioned its minimal live racing dates to meet the State’s bare minimum requirements to operate slot machines, while insisting it will hold ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ so as to not have the expense and, of course, the resultant economic development created by conducting legitimate horse racing,” explained Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Director Kent Stirling.  “The people of Gretna are being duped.  The jobs that legitimate horse racing operations bring are well known to far and away exceed the economic vortex that this ill-begotten scheme would create.”

    Shortly after its approval of the Gretna license, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering was cited by the Florida Auditor General in an October 26, 2011 report for faulty slot machine and cardroom licensing procedures, resulting in lost revenue to the State.  To view the report, click here.

    Gretna Racing, clearly confident in its ability to secure the vote, has already published “Gretna Casino” Web sites, which indicate it is expecting a clear path to open its casino later in 2012, while bypassing federal and state law, as well as bona fide pari-mutuel regulation.  On its site, Gretna Casino indicates that it will seek to become a North Florida “gambling getaway.”

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Nick Sortal's Sun-Sentinel "Action" South Florida Gambling Blog: State approves barrel racing (a work-around to get poker)]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/22/nick-sortals-sun-sentinel-action-south-florida-gambling-blog-state-approves-barrel-racing-a-work-around-to-get-poker/ Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:46:45 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/22/nick-sortals-sun-sentinel-action-south-florida-gambling-blog-state-approves-barrel-racing-a-work-around-to-get-poker/
     

    By Nick Sortal

    October 20, 2011 10:56 AM

    barrelracing.jpg

    In the latest move by some pari-mutuels to do the bare minimum to qualify for other forms of gambling, a horse track west of Tallahassee went to the state and got approval for barrel racing.

    Never bet on barrel racing before? Well, apparently nobody has.

    The National Barrel Horse Association, based in Augusta, Ga., tells the Bloodhorse’s Jim Freer that to his knowledge, wagering on an event seen mostly at rodeos is new turf.

    Freer, who does a great job following the off-track issues of racing, said Gretna Racing LLC also plans to have a year-round poker room starting Dec. 17.

    The Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering approved the application Wednesday. It doesn’t spell out barrel racing per se, but Marc Dunbar, a Tallahassee attorney who is a 10% owner of Gretna Racing, told Freer that was the plan.

    Horsemen protested to the state, saying it’s obviously a work-around. That’s because Florida pari-mutuels who meet minimum requirements of races/jai-alai matches get to run a poker room year-round.

    Some folks argued that’s what happened at Hialeah Park the past couple of years, as the former grand dame of racing reopened with quarterhorse racing in order to qualify for a slot permit. The casino is under construction, despite an unrelated legal challenge.

    About Nick Sortal
     
    Maybe you’ve made the right play, maybe you haven’t. Your heart speeds up, your stomach rumbles.That’s why it’s called gambling.

    ACTION is a view of the numbers, the psychology and the flavor of gambling here in South Florida, through our lens.

    We do have one sure bet. There’s something here for you.

    NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card “gut” and “Indian poker” on high school band trips, moved on to “night baseball” and “pass the trash” during a Dr. Pepper-infused midnight game in the 1980s at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and now play in a regular neighborhood Hold ‘Em game in Plantation. I have been given the assignment of writing about the gambling life in South Florida casinos for the Sun-Sentinel…which means sitting around watching poker on TV now counts as research.

     

    To view this story on its own Web page, click here.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Dubious Gretna License Award Made Over Objections of 70,000 Florida & National Horsemen]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/21/dubious-gretna-license-award-made-over-objections-of-70000-florida-national-horsemen/ Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:35:23 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/21/dubious-gretna-license-award-made-over-objections-of-70000-florida-national-horsemen/ Despite the vocal objections of 70,000 Florida and national horsemen, and against the warnings of the business community and other Floridians on expanded gambling, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering has approved a license application yesterday, October 19, 2011, for Gretna Creek Entertainment, a consortium of insider lobbyists and an Alabama tribal Indian gaming company, to hold additional racing dates under its existing Quarter Horse racing permit.  Warping the law to suit its goal of a year ’round poker room, Gretna plans to use its racing dates to run “pari-mutuel barrel racing” beginning December 1, 2011.

    Florida OKs Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Meet
    by Jim Freer
    Date Posted: 10/19/2011

    The Blood Horse

    The Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering late in the afternoon Oct. 19 approved an application by Gretna Racing LLC to use its Quarter Horse permit to conduct pari-mutuel barrel racing at its facility in Gretna, Fla., about 25 miles west of Tallahassee,

    Gretna Racing’s 40-race card meet, which it plans to begin on Dec. 1, 2011, would be the first pari-mutuel barrel racing in Florida. Gretna Racing also will have a year-round poker room with Dec. 17 as the planned opening date, said Marc Dunbar, a Tallahassee attorney who is a 10% owner of Gretna Racing.

    Two prominent Florida Thoroughbred horsemen’s associations were among groups that had asked the Florida DPMW to not allow Gretna Racing to use its Quarter Horse permit for pari-mutuel barrel racing. Barrel racing is a rodeo-like event in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels. It is popular in several parts of Florida, and in numerous other states.

    The National Barrel Horse Association “has no knowledge of any pari-mutuel barrel racing” in any state, according to Rick Hardy, membership director of that Augusta, Ga.-based organization.

    The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association sent letters to the Florida DPMW and its parent agency the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, asking them to reject Gretna Racing’s application. The two Thoroughbred groups were joined in that opposition by the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association. All three associations maintain that pari-mutuel barrel racing is not authorized under the state’s laws.

    Those three groups also expressed concerns that approval of the Gretna Racing application could lead other Quarter Horse permit holders to use barrel racing as a low-cost route to opening potentially lucrative poker rooms.

    The Florida DPMW’s two-page notice of a pari-mutuel license approval did not include the words “barrel racing.”  Dunbar said Gretna Racing will hold barrel racing, as specified in the application it filed Sept. 30.

    The DPMW notice provided no indication of any precedent for future approvals of pari-mutuel barrel racing for holders of Quarter Horse permits.

    The application lists the Poarch Creek Tribe, based in Atmore, Ala., as 70% owner of Gretna Racing. That American Indian tribe owns most of the land at the facility in Gretna.

    The application lists David Romanik, a former Gulfstream Park president, and Paul McGee, a Tallahassee attorney, each with 10% ownership. Dunbar, a partner in the Pennington Law Firm in Tallahassee, also is a lobbyist for Gulfstream Park and for several gaming equipment companies.  Gulfstream is not affiliated with Gretna Racing.

    Some observers felt that a central issue for the Florida DPMW would be reviewing the definitions of horse racing and Quarter Horse racing in Florida pari-mutuel laws to determine if Gretna Racing’s intended use of Quarter Horses makes barrel racing an eligible event. Those laws require a Quarter Horse meet to have at least half its races as Quarter Horse races. Other races in mixed meets under a Quarter Horse permit can include Thoroughbreds and other designated breeds.

    The Florida DPMW approval of the application raises the issue of what activities are permissible under a Quarter Horse permit or any other pari-mutuel permit in Florida.  Any Florida pari-mutuel permit holder that conducts at least the minimum number of required performances a year can have a poker room that can be open 365 days a year. Poker is the main source of revenue growth at many non-horse pari-mutuel facilities in Florida

    In a Sept. 18 letter to the Florida DPMW, Florida HBPA executive director Kent Stirling wrote.  “We remind you that Gulfstream Park, Pompano Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah Park, and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association all have Quarter Horse licenses.”

    He later told The Blood-Horse that the Florida HBPA is hoping to prevent any efforts by tracks to substitute low-cost barrel racing for conventional race meets while keeping poker rooms and, in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, casinos.

    “I’m not really surprised by this decision,” Stirling said. “After all, this is Florida. These three guys spent a couple of years working on this. It looks like they will make a lot of money on a poker room, without a lot going to the barrel racers. This also could be very detrimental to the future of horse racing in Florida.”

    In its application, Gretna Racing said it plans to hold 40 barrel racing cards between Dec. 1, 2011, and Jan. 15, 2012.

    Gretna Racing has a purse agreement with the North Florida Horsemen’s Association. Wesley Cox, a board member of that group which was formed last year, said he expects that at least 80% of the horses would be Quarter Horses in barrel races at Gretna.

    In June 2010, the Florida DBPR issued Gretna Racing a permit to hold barrel racing on a non pari-mutuel basis.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[The Paulick Report Notes Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Rejection of Gretna Creek Entertainment North Florida Horsemen's Association Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Scheme]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/18/the-paulick-report-notes-florida-thoroughbred-breeders-and-owners-rejection-of-gretna-creek-entertainment-north-florida-horsemens-association-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-scheme/ Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:00:52 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/18/the-paulick-report-notes-florida-thoroughbred-breeders-and-owners-rejection-of-gretna-creek-entertainment-north-florida-horsemens-association-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-scheme/ The Paulick Report

    The Paulick Report, one of the foremost online international Thoroughbred racing publications, has noted the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners’ Association opposition and rejection of the Gretna Creek Entertainment North Florida Horsemen’s Association parimutuel barrel racing scheme.  To read the Paulick Report, click here.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Declares Opposition to Gretna/North Florida Horsemen’s Association's Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing License Application]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/17/florida-thoroughbred-breeders%e2%80%99-and-owners%e2%80%99-association-declares-opposition-to-gretnanorth-florida-horsemen%e2%80%99s-associations-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-license-application/ Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:14:32 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/17/florida-thoroughbred-breeders%e2%80%99-and-owners%e2%80%99-association-declares-opposition-to-gretnanorth-florida-horsemen%e2%80%99s-associations-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-license-application/ Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' AssociationThe venerable Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (“FTBOA”) has formally declared its opposition to a license application by Gretna/North Florida Horsemen’s Association (“Gretna”) that, if approved by the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, would essentially define rodeo-style barrel racing as the equivalent of horse racing in relation to pari-mutuel wagering activities.

    Gretna’s proposed activities, which seek to exploit a loophole in Florida law, are fortified with threatening lawsuits designed to ultimately usurp statutory Florida horsemen’s performance incentives and challenge a federal statute that protects the horse community with legal rights in issues such as negotiating with track owners on purse money.  Further, the endeavor, which is owned in part by three Florida lobbyists and the Alabama Poarch Creek Indian Tribe’s PCI Gaming, has established its own horsemen’s association that is similarly controlled.

    In a September 28, 2011 letter to Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Acting Director Joe Dillmore, FTBOA General Counsel Warren Husband declares, “ . . . it is the FTBOA’s position that any license granted to a Quarter Horse permitholder under Chapter 550 may not be lawfully used to conduct c on barrel races or any other type of rodeo event.

    Ever since Florida legalized it in 1931, Husbands explained, the only type of organized pari-mutuel wagering in the State has been conducted on conventional horse races, in which horses race each other to a common finish line on a dedicated track or course.   Neither this type of dedicated course, nor any horse competition facility or horse housing structure has yet been built at Gretna, which is domiciled in the small town of Gretna, Florida, approximately eight miles from the Georgia/Florida border.

    In its license application, which has been rejected several times for being incomplete, Gretna has changed its requested “racing days” from two charity performances to 41, which it most recently explained will be doubled up into only 21 days, with two cards of races held for each of these days.

    How the proposed barrel races and their presumed requisite pari-mutuel infrastructure will be determined or applied at the Gretna facility has yet to be clarified, although the facility is scheduled to open for business on December 1, 2011, without yet having been approved or regulated by the State of Florida.

    Together with the FTBOA, over 65,000 Florida horsemen and their nationwide colleagues have lined up in strong opposition to the Gretna barrel racing plan.  This opposition includes the National Barrel Horse Association and its Florida Chapter, which have 24,000 members and affiliates in 12 different countries.  The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association and the U.S. Trotting Association have all denounced the scheme.

    The FTBOA, which held its first meeting with 11 members in 1945, represents more than 1,300 Thoroughbred breeders and owners who breed, raise, train and race horses born in the State of Florida.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[The Paulick Report Updates on Gretna North Florida Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Scheme: Barrel racing group against Florida pari-mutuel proposal]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/13/the-paulick-report-updates-on-gretna-north-florida-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-scheme-barrel-racing-group-against-florida-pari-mutuel-proposal/ Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:39:41 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/13/the-paulick-report-updates-on-gretna-north-florida-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-scheme-barrel-racing-group-against-florida-pari-mutuel-proposal/
    Florida, National Barrel Horse Associations Pledge Support to Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association in Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Controversy

    Should they sign the offered agreement, Barrel Racers Joining Gretna North Florida Horsemen's Association Will Lose All Rights To Join Any Other Organization

    by Paulick Report Staff | 10.12.2011 | 3:54pm

     
    www.PaulickReport.com
     
    To go directly to this Web page:  http://www.paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/barrel-racing-group-against-florida-pari-mutuel-proposal/
     
    A prominent barrel racing organization is taking a stand against the idea of pari-mutuel wagering on barrel racing in Florida.  As first reported by the Paulick Report, a group that includes the Florida lobbyist for Frank Stronach’s Gulfstream Park has submitted an application for a Quarter horse racing permit and card room license that calls for two days of pari-mutuel wagering on barrel racing near the Florida-Georgia border.Florida horsemen and the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association fear that, if approved, the application would give Quarter horse permit holders the option to abandon live racing and simply open a card room.  Current law requires Quarter horse permit holders to conduct a minimum of 20 days of live horse racing to maintain both a racing and card room permit.

    Linda Jones of the National Barrel Horse Association submitted the following letter.

    To Whom It May Concern:

    I, as Florida State Director for the National Barrel Horse Association, headquarted in August, GA represent and have been authorized by the NBHA to submit a statement regarding the recent developments concerning barrel racing and para-mutual wagering in the state of Florida.

    Florida NHBA does not and will not endorse this endeavor.

    At the present time, Florida NHBA has over 1,400 members statewide and over 2,400 nationally.

    We wholeheartedly lend our support to the FQHRA and the United Horsemen of Florida and seek denial in allowing para-mutual wagering on barrel racing in the state of Florida.

    Sincerely,

    Linda Jones

    ]]>         <![CDATA[National Barrel Horse Association Strongly Opposes Gretna’s Florida Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing Application]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/12/national-barrel-horse-association-strongly-opposes-gretna%e2%80%99s-florida-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-application/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:40:10 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/12/national-barrel-horse-association-strongly-opposes-gretna%e2%80%99s-florida-pari-mutuel-barrel-racing-application/ The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA), the largest barrel racing organization in the world, with over 24,000 members and affiliates in 12 different countries, has officially declared its opposition to an attempt by a northern Florida Quarter Horse pari-mutuel permitholder to allow wagering on barrel racing in lieu of Quarter Horses.

    NBHA Southeastern Director Paul Stanley:  “There is no place for betting where there are children competing”

    The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA), the largest barrel racing organization in the world, with over 24,000 members and affiliates in 12 different countries, has officially declared its opposition to an attempt by a northern Florida Quarter Horse pari-mutuel permitholder to allow wagering on barrel racing in lieu of Quarter Horses. 

    The request exploits a loophole in Florida law and includes a plan to challenge a federal statute that protects the horse community with legal rights in issues such as negotiating with track owners on prize money.

    The Florida Barrel Horse Association has also registered its opposition to the scheme.

    “We have provided the people of Florida a place to compete and win money and prizes for years without the benefit of betting,” NBHA Southeastern Director Paul Stanley wrote in an October 12, 2011 letter to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson.  “The NBHA promotes a family atmosphere at these events and feels there is no place for betting where there are children competing.”

    The NBHA estimates that a majority of its competing members are under 18.

    In his letter, Director Stanley specifically emphasized that the NBHA supports the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association in representing Florida’s horsemen in any horse racing concerns in Florida.

    Headquartered in Augusta, Georgia since 1992, the NBHA revolutionized the barrel racing industry by pioneering the divisional format, which allows riders of all skill levels a chance to win money and prizes in barrel racing competition.

    To date, its official events have paid out $12,157,330 in prize money to competitors, with over $2.5 million in added money.   In contrast, prize money offered at Gretna, which is neither compliant with State of Florida pari-mutuel regulations, nor sanctioned by the NBHA, is an aggregate $38,000, all of which is underwritten by out-of-state Indian gambling interests.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association: Gretna barrel racing proposal and North Florida Horsemen's Association may threaten harness racing]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/09/florida-standardbred-breeders-and-owners-association-gretna-barrel-racing-proposal-and-north-florida-horsemens-association-may-threaten-harness-racing/ Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:05:01 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/09/florida-standardbred-breeders-and-owners-association-gretna-barrel-racing-proposal-and-north-florida-horsemens-association-may-threaten-harness-racing/  
     
     
     
    Thomas Hicks:  Barrel racing may threaten harness racing
     
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    The FSBOA wishes to inform its members of an attempt to use a quarter horse permit/license application to replace the Florida statute required live quarter horse race days with a limited number of barrel racing rodeo events on which pari-mutuel wagering is planned.

    This effort is, we believe, an attempt to obtain a card room and perhaps eventually a casino without the capital investment required to build a racetrack and related facilities.

    Equibase, the Trackmaster equivalent for race charting and pari-mutuel program past performance lines, does not chart barrel races which are a timed rodeo event, not horse racing.

    Further, barrel racing horses are not breed specific although quarter horses are the prevalent breed used for those events.

    The Gretna Racing LLC sponsoring organization is 70% owned by an out-of-state Native American Indian group and 30% by certain Florida business and lobbying interests.

    This organization has formed its own horsemen’s association, thereby avoiding contractual negotiations with the only state recognized quarter horse association.

    The “prize money” advertised for the barrel racing events is considerably less than that offered at the Hialeah Park quarter horse races during the past two years, such races that were conducted in compliance with state law.

    Below is a new release issued by the FQHRA. Please review and consider contacting your state representatives on this matter. It is an ethical issue and much more, as it threatens the racing equine and breeding industry in Florida and sets a dangerous precedent for the racing equine industry in the United States.

    As you know the racing equine industry is a powerful economic engine that drives employment, purchases of feed, pharmaceuticals, veterinary and other services while also preserving tax generating green space and tax revenues on wagering to the state.

    Thomas H. Hicks

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Initial 2008 Romanik/Dunbar "horsetrack" Florida barrel racing pari-mutuel cardroom attempt was courageously thrown out by the Jefferson County Commission in the face of heavy community and evangelical opposition]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/09/initial-2008-romanikdunbar-horsetrack-barrel-cardroom-attempt-was-courageously-thrown-out-by-the-jefferson-county-commission-in-the-face-of-heavy-community-and-evangelical-opposition/ Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:07:09 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/09/initial-2008-romanikdunbar-horsetrack-barrel-cardroom-attempt-was-courageously-thrown-out-by-the-jefferson-county-commission-in-the-face-of-heavy-community-and-evangelical-opposition/ In 2008, the Romanik/Dunbar consortium initially tried to secure a Jefferson County ”equestrian” venue–presumably for its cardroom pursuits.  The evangelical community there opposed the proposal in droves, even when it became apparent that the County Commission had been “threatened with a lawsuit” if they didn’t heed the Romanik/Dunbar marching orders.  Thanks to the Florida Baptist Witness Church for providing this article.  Read on . . .
     

    From the article below:  “Luther Pickle, employed by the Jefferson County Kennel Club told the commissioners he opposed the development because it would be unfair for the greyhound racetrack, which must conduct races over 200 days of the year, to compete with a Quarter horse track which would have to run about six days a year.  More troubling, he said, however, is the talk around town about how the board is being told they need to vote in favor of the track else be threatened with a lawsuit . . . . Tuten told Romanik if he’d asked for a pari-mutuel instead of a horsetrack, he might have supported him, but questioned whether a person who was into horse racing could seriously consider only having six races a year.

    “I don’t say that to embarrass anybody here,” Tuten said. “I have friends on both sides of this aisle and I am really disappointed that this item is trying to be hid behind a horseracing facility.”

    Jan 22, 2008
    JONI B. HANNIGAN, Managing Editor

     

    David Hall, a Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church in Lloyd, stands near the proposed development which is three quarters of a mile from the church and two miles from his home.
    Related Coverage
    Jefferson County community models ‘informed’ citizenship

    MONTICELLO (FBW)—As the hands on the clock swept past twelve over six times in the dignified courtroom of the Monticello Courthouse in Jefferson County, a gold state seal on the wall reminded: “In God We Trust.” It was the day the residents of tiny Lloyd took on high stakes lawyers for big time gaming interests. And won.

    County Commissioners voted 4-1 after a Jan. 17 public hearing to deny a permit for the development of a Quarter horse racetrack on a 117-acre plot of land at the intersection of I-10 and State Road 59 (Gamble Road). The $16.4-22 million development proposed a track and a 25,200-square-foot building for a cardroom, lounge, restaurant and 12-lane bowling alley. The site also had four out-parcels for future development.

    In courtroom “B” five commissioners sat poker-faced around a table for more than seven hours total—until 1:30 a.m.—while a parade of interested parties and residents packed every seat in the room and took over the mike as their names were called.

    L-R: David Romanik, developer; an attorney for Smith family; and Marc Dunbar, pari-mutuel specialist. Photo by Joni B. Hannigan

    Eighty-eight signed up and nearly fifty spoke with the remainder yielding their time to others. About 200 stayed until the very end, while the crowd at times swelled to more than 300. A week before, about the same number crowded the chamber for a meeting of the county’s planning commission which turned a 5-4 vote against recommending the proposal to the commission. It still moved forward with a staff recommendation.

    Among the “others” yielded time to were George Smith and David Hall—two David’s amongst apparent Goliaths in a fight that sometimes took on almost supernatural proportions. Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lloyd, and Hall, a Sunday School teacher in Smith’s church, are both credited with launching a grassroots effort to stir up the residents of Lloyd in about two weeks time to read, listen and learn about the developer’s effort.

    Citing environmental concerns for the property’s wetlands and nearby sinkholes which they say could pollute the region’s water supply, the men also stood clearly against any form of gambling in their community via horsetrack betting or cardroom games.

    Despite the property being zoned as a “mixed-use commercial” venue, Hall previously told the Witness a question has been raised about the compatibility of the proposed track and entertainment with community standards.

    On the other side of the issue was the principal for the developer Equestrian Land Holdings LLC, David Romanik, himself a prominent South Florida gaming law attorney, and his attorney, a leading gaming and pari-mutuel expert, Marc Dunbar—and consultants who gave favorable opinions on environmental, traffic, building and other concerns.

    Ken Smith, who owns 15.3 acres of the proposed development, said he has the right to sell his property. Photo by Joni B. Hannigan

    In the middle of their neighbors were the landowners who said they had a right to sell their property to a legitimate business. Among them, Ken Smith, a former Florida State Representative (1960-1969) and part-owner of Jamaro, Inc., which owns 15.53-acres. The other landowner, Rick Baker, operates Triple Creek Nursery.

    Smith, in his eighties, first lived in Jefferson County as a young high school teacher and returned to the county about 30 years ago.

    Commissioner chairman, Felix “Skeet” Joyner, handled routine commission business and conducted two other hearings on property matters before opening the hearing on the racetrack. Joyner, also a member of First Baptist Church in Lloyd, has been on the county commission for nine years and before that was on the planning commission for eight years.

    Quickly pointing to what he said was a deficiency in the application, Joyner recommended it be returned to the planning department for completion. “It is my opinion that this application is not complete,” Joyner said before being outvoted by all the other commissioners.

    “I’ve sat on the planning commission for eight years,” Joyner said after telling his colleagues they had just gone against their “own rules and regulations.” Further, the dark-haired and dark-suited man with reading glasses said he’d never seen an application processed so quickly.

    “I’m not saying it wasn’t proper procedure. But if it is proper procedure, we have not treated these other applications fairly,” Joyner said.

    After Joyner spoke, he invited Marc Dunbar to step up to a podium set up outside the railing facing the commissioners who were at a table inside the railing directly in front of the judge’s bench. The overflow crowd of residents and bystanders filled the jury box to the right of the commissioners, facing the courtroom.

    Dunbar said the developers took seriously any environmental concerns presented in regards to area wetlands and had plans in place to work with the Jefferson County planning department to resolve any other issues that might arise.

    Dunbar introduced Romanik, calling him the “horseman” who came up with the idea for Jefferson Downs. According to information provided under Florida’s Sunshine laws, Romanik is also a legislative lobbyist for two gaming interests and a racetrack. He told county commissioners he owns horses and for the first 12 years of his life rode them to include his uncle’s horse in Key Biscayne in Miami “when Miami was a nice place to live.”

    Speaking fondly of the year he served as president of the Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Fort Lauderdale, Romanik said he focused on getting back “to the roots of racing.”

    “I think the county fair atmosphere is important in all of this because I think that’s where racing started in America-that’s really what led to the development of the private race tracks,” Romanik said.

    Discounting speculation the development was about pari-mutuel wagering (See Jan. 17 article “Proposed horsetrack in Jefferson County draws concern”), Romanik said he was “just interested in the horse part of this business.” He said in Orange County, Calif., the Los Alamitos racetrack has increased the number of races and Quarter horse racing is becoming more popular.

    In addition, there would be a creation of about 60 new jobs at $30,000 annually, a grant to the county for infrastructure, an increase in business activity in the interchange, a facility that would benefit the horse community and an increase in entertainment options, Dunbar said.

    Pastor Smith strode to the front of the quiet courtroom and noted that like in a Baptist church, there were a lot of opinions being expressed. He quoted from a story in the local newspaper which he said described small town life in glowing terms and posed the question: “Would it be so bad to actually live in Mayberry?” Continuing to read, Smith said, “We’re not just friends, we are family.”

    “To me she just described Lloyd to a T. People want to come and live here, but how long will that last?” he asked. “Do you want to take this gamble and see if this pays off?”

    Addressing the commissioners, Smith told them he had provided them with spiritual responses in a handout. “We are asking you to listen to your hearts and do the right thing,” he said. “I’m a concerned citizen who cares about my people and my church and my community.”

    David Hall, who thanked many members of his Sunday School class for yielding their time, said he wasn’t going to focus on many of the environmental concerns he had already raised in the planning commission meeting the week previous—or the multitude of moral implications or issues of incompatibility—but instead talked about his idea of high standards for the community.

    Hall, who lives two miles north of the proposed site on Gamble Road, told commissioners and the developers that if the race track proposal was passed he was certain the residents of Jefferson County would want to insure that their race track would meet the highest standards of any track built.

    Reading aloud a list of recent restoration projects completed by private interests, churches and residents in the Lloyd area, Hall also read aloud Marc Dunbar’s long list of accomplishments as a gaming attorney, telling commissioners he believes there is a reason the developer brought in a powerful attorney.

    “Are they just building a horsetrack as they are saying, or is there more behind it?” Hall asked rhetorically.

    Local resident Mark Mahoney told commissioners to “look at the evangelical people in this community” and think about how pari-mutuel wagering does not meet their standards.

    It will be too late to turn back once the permits have been approved and the development has proceeded Mahoney said: “You can’t just roll it off I-10 on wheels. When it’s built, it’s built.”

    John Wesley, pastor of a Pentecostal church in the county said he’s not against horses. “I love horses,” Wesley said, but to build “another saloon, cardroom, or watering hole in our community” is doubtful.

    Speaking of the new jobs promised for the kids of the community, he said wryly to loud applause: “I guess we need the school board to put into our curriculum bartending and card dealing so our kids will have a future in our county.”

    Kari Beck, owner of Ten Oaks Farm which borders the proposed development, raised concerns over noise and damage to the environment. Ten Oaks, a private 220-acre farm, is run by United States Olympian Jill Henneberg.

    Beck, who lives in Tallahassee and homeschools her six children, said she chose Jefferson County as a place to develop the farm because of its “pristine environment” while acknowledging the land does border an area zoned for “mixed-use commercial” business.

    “Not all mixed-use is created equal,” Beck said.

    Ken Smith, speaking as one of the members of the family-owned corporation, Jamaro, Inc., criticized neighbors for what he referred to as their “private playgrounds” and said wealthy people sometimes lose their “sensitivity to the people [they] don’t even know exist” and forget they need jobs. He launched into an oratory about his right as a landowner.

    “…[W]hen I buy land I should be granted the same privileges to own that land and to dispose of that land or to do on that land anything I want to so long as it is legal,” Smith said.

    Referring to the other opinions presented, Smith said passionately: “This country is not founded on inflammatory rhetoric and emotionalism; it is grounded on the law and when we reach the point when we forget that and we let emotionalism prevail and we let false arguments prevail … we are bordering on, and we are just one step short of anarchy.”

    Attorneys representing Jamaro and the Beck family each gave the commissioners a different version of the interpretation of compatibility in the county’s land use code.

    Luther Pickle, employed by the Jefferson County Kennel Club told the commissioners he opposed the development because it would be unfair for the greyhound racetrack, which must conduct races over 200 days of the year, to compete with a Quarter horse track which would have to run about six days a year.

    More troubling, he said, however, is the talk around town about how the board is being told they need to vote in favor of the track else be threatened with a lawsuit.

    “First of all, that’s the equivalent of political extortion as far as I’m concerned,” Pickle said. “The threat of a lawsuit has nothing to do with what you’re bound to do here. That’s the result of what you do.”

    J. Lois Rodriguez, a Lloyd resident who bought the former historic Hale Place seven years ago and restored it, said he now breeds black angus cows there. He told the commissioners there’s apparently a “lot of misinformation” floating around. He said he wondered about how the proposal “came out of nowhere about a month ago,” and said the staff must have known about it for 5-6 months.

    “Why all the secrecy?” he asked. “Why all this moving and fast tracking?”

    Addressing remarks made by Ken Smith, Rodriguez, called him a “politician” and told him to not take personally the assessment of his property as a swamp. To which Smith quipped: “statesman” to replace “politician.”

    “You’re a statesman and I’ve got 7,000 acres of citrus in Cuba that I want to sell you, too,” Rodriguez shot back laughing, while the crowd roared with laughter.

    Rodriguez, who told commissioners he has served on 44 boards for various groups and corporations, said he was never told how to vote.

    “So don’t worry about the lawsuits because he’s going to sue you if you vote against it and I’m going to sue you if you vote for it,” he laughed, gesturing towards Dunbar.

    Lisa Alden, a resident who lives two miles north of I-10 on Gamble Road said she didn’t have any knowledge of the proposed development until her neighbor, David Hall, brought it to her attention.

    A horse owner and self-described “red-neck,” Alden said she wasn’t convinced at first there was anything wrong with the proposal, but began to doubt the claims of developers that they were considering horses’ needs when she didn’t see the usual facilities in the plan.

    “We love quarter horses,” Alden said. “We don’t love gambling. So, I guess if you approve it, I could get a face-lift and get a job as a stripper, because I guess that’s what’s coming next,” she said satirically to loud applause. “Bring me a Publix, bring me Cracker Barrel, but don’t bring me [strippers and a casino].”

    After the hands of the clock finally swept past midnight and the residents, property owners, attorneys and other interested parties had their say, the commissioners began to question the developer, his attorney, county staff members and other experts present.

    “I’ve always supported property rights,” Commissioner Tuten said, smoothing light hair ordinarily hidden beneath the cowboy hat sitting on the bench behind him.

    Tuten told Romanik if he’d asked for a pari-mutuel instead of a horsetrack, he might have supported him, but questioned whether a person who was into horse racing could seriously consider only having six races a year.

    “I don’t say that to embarrass anybody here,” Tuten said. “I have friends on both sides of this aisle and I am really disappointed that this item is trying to be hid behind a horseracing facility.

    “Unfortunately, of what I consider personal reasons and morally, a fabrication, … I cannot support your request,” Tuten said. “Now I want to apologize to the Smith family because I cannot support their position and the sale of the property. I wish to God I could tonight and I apologize for being placed in the position I’ve been placed in. But six races a year does not constitute a horse race facility. I apologize, but I do not like what I consider being scammed.”

    Commissioner Danny Monroe asked Romanik if he had any commitment from horse owners to bring horses to the race track. Romanik said he did not.

    Commissioner Jerry Sutphin went down a detailed list he kept of speakers by number and name, critiquing their remarks and laughing outright at some.

    Commissioner Gene Hall questioned Romanik about funds the facility might give to the public schools for education. Romanik promised only that there would be certain “charity funds” available as mandated by law—but he couldn’t make any promises.

    Joyner concluded his remarks by calling the proposed development site an “absolute swamp.” Talking about the runoff from the facility getting into the wetlands and into nearby sinkholes, he cited overall concerns for the environment, and again, the lack of a completed application as reasons for denying the permit.

    Finally, Joyner said: “I’ve been told by the attorneys that I couldn’t speak on gambling but I am going to anyhow.” Relating a story about how he placed a lottery machine in one of his businesses years ago, he said two longtime employees began to steal from him and he had to fire them.

    “I never will have another one of them,” Joyner said of the lottery machines. “I do not want gambling in my community to destroy my community, so I’m going to vote against it.”

    Urging the other commissioners to vote their own conscience and to do the “best thing for Jefferson County,” Joyner yielded the floor to a staff member who read the commissioners a list of their responsibilities in regards to voting.

    Just before 1:30 a.m., Jan. 18, the Jefferson County Commission voted 4-1 to deny moving forward the application process for the development proposing a Quarter horsetrack. Afterwards, Romanik told the Tallahassee Democrat he didn’t know whether his company would appeal the decision.

    “I really have to think about it and assess what happened,” he said.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Horse Racing Industry Abuzz With Disbelief Over Audacity of Job-Killing Florida Pari-Mutuel Barrel Scheme--Horsemen, Your Calls, Emails, Letters to Florida Regulators Needed NOW]]> http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/08/hello-world/ Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:14:31 +0000 Florida Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Regulation; Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred; Florida Race Tracks http://floridahorsemen.com/2011/10/08/hello-world/

    URGENT CALL TO THE POST for Florida Horsemen!  Your calls, letters and emails to Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson are needed BEFORE OCTOBER 25 to let him know you OPPOSE parimutuel barrel racing in Florida.  Please e-mail him at: Ken.Lawson@dbpr.state.fl.us  TODAY!

     The Blood Horse and The Paulick Report, both major Thoroughbred Horse Racing publications and blogs, are abuzz with contention about the “true motives” for Florida’s “farcical” consideration of an outrageous scheme to define “barrel racing,” (a rodeo event) as “horse racing.” 

    “We are very alarmed at what appears to be an attempted end run around the Florida statutes to get a card room by a number of Florida lobbyists,” Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association executive director Kent Stirling wrote to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson.  “If (the license is granted), we feel it would open the door to other pari-mutuel licensees that currently operate live horse racing to do the same with their quarter horse licenses.”

    Read both stories below (click on the headlines to access the blog comments):

    Published October 6, 2011 in The Paulick Report, an International Thoroughbred Online News Magazine
    Florida barrel racing application sparks controversy
    by Ray Paulick | 10.06.2011
    www.paulickreport.com

    An application for a Quarter horse racing permit and card room license, submitted by a group that includes the Florida lobbyist for Frank Stronach’s Gulfstream Park, has raised serious concerns among both Quarter horse and Thoroughbred horsemen in the Sunshine State about its true motives.

    The application for Gretna Racing LLC calls for two days of pari-mutuel wagering on the rodeo activity barrel racing at a site in the small town of Gretna, near the Florida-Georgia border just north of the state capital of Tallahassee. Gretna, with a population of just 1,700, is 88% African American and has a poverty rate of 37%, according to census figures.

    If the license application is approved, it would be the first time barrel racing is considered a pari-mutuel activity anywhere in North America.

    The application was submitted on Sept. 6 by PCI Gaming Authority, a division of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which is listed as 70% owner of Gretna Racing; lobbyist Marc Dunbar, who counts Gulfstream Park among his clients; lobbyist Wallace McGee; and David Romanik, a former Gulfstream Park president under Stronach. Dunbar, McGee and Romanik own 10% each of Gretna Racing.

    Executives with both the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association fear there could be something more sinister to the application than merely allowing locals to bet on a rodeo event – a precedent that would give Quarter horse permit holders the option to abandon live racing. Currently, Quarter horse permit holders are required to conduct a minimum of 20 days of live Quarter horse racing to maintain both a racing and card room permit.

    Quarter horse permit holders include Gulfstream Park, Pompano Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah Park, and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association.

    “We are very alarmed at what appears to be an attempted end run around the Florida statutes to get a card room by a number of Florida lobbyists,” FHBPA executive director Kent Stirling wrote to the director of the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. “If (the license is granted), we feel it would open the door to other pari-mutuel licensees that currently operate live horse racing to do the same with their quarter horse licenses.”

    Stephen D. Fisch, DVM, president of the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, described the application to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation as “farcical” and said if approved would make a “mockery” of the application process and statutory requirements of a card room and Quarter horse racing licensing.

    “Moreover, if licenses are granted by the department,” Fisch wrote, “it would invite similar affronts on the other types of horse racing – Thoroughbred racing and harness racing, by setting the misguided precedent that horse racing includes any competitive activity involving a horse. The ultimate result would be the inevitable diminution of the entire horse racing industry and the wholesale expansion of gambling. The growing number of Quarter horse permits issued in the state, most of them dormant, would suddenly be allowed to offer rodeo events as a pari-mutuel wagering activity in lieu of legitimate horse racing.”

    Proponents of the license have enlisted the help of 11-time world champion barrel racer Charmayne James and the newly formed North Florida Horseman’s Association.

    A call to the Tallahassee office of lobbyist Dunbar was not returned.

    Published on October 6, 2011 in The Blood Horse, an International Thoroughbred Racing Magazine
    Florida Horsemen Say Permit Threatens Racing
    By
    Updated: Thursday, October 6, 2011 5:55 PM
    www.bloodhorse.com

    A Florida Quarter Horse permitholder’s request to use its license to conduct pari-mutuel barrel racing events has generated concern and attracted criticism from state Thoroughbred racing leaders.

    Gretna Racing LLC has asked the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering for permission to use its license for barrel racing beginning Dec. 1, 2011. Gretna is a town of about 1,750 people located in the Florida panhandle, northwest of Tallahassee.

    Barrel racing is a rodeo-like event in which a horse and rider are timed racing in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels. Pari-mutuel wagering commonly isn’t offered on the sport. If the Gretna company is allowed to use its license in this way, the facility would also be allowed to open a poker room.

    A spokeswoman for the Florida DPMW said Oct. 4 “this is a unique issue, and a determination has not been made” on whether barrel racing is permissible under a Quarter Horse permit in Florida.

    The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association have asked the Florida DPMW to not approve the application for barrel racing by Gretna Racing based on their views that Florida laws on Quarter Horse racing limit that sport to conventional Quarter Horse races. Barrel racing is held as a non pari-mutuel event at numerous sites in northwestern Florida and other parts of the state.

    Wesley Cox, a board member of the North Florida Horsemen’s Association, said he expects that at least 80% of the horses would be Quarter Horses in barrel races at Gretna. Cox’s organization has a purse agreement under which its members would provide horses to Gretna Racing; he said he expects that some retired Thoroughbreds could be in barrel races at Gretna.

    In a Sept. 18 letter to the Florida DPMW, Florida HBPA executive director Kent Stirling said his organization is concerned that granting Gretna Racing’s request “would open the door to other pari-mutuel licensees that currently operate live horse racing to do the same with their Quarter Horse licenses. We remind you that Gulfstream Park, Pompano Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah Park, and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association all have Quarter Horse licenses.”

    Stirling told The Blood-Horse the Florida HBPA is hoping to prevent any future efforts by tracks to substitute low-cost barrel racing for conventional race meets while keeping poker rooms and, in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, casinos.

    Gretna Racing’s amended application, filed Sept. 30, raises the issue of what activities are permissible under a Quarter Horse permit or any other pari-mutuel permit in Florida. Any Florida pari-mutuel permit-holder that conducts at least the minimum number of required performances a year can have a poker room that can be open 365 days a year.

    Poker is the main source of revenue growth at many non-horse pari-mutuel facilities in Florida. In its application, Gretna Racing said it plans to have a poker room.

    The application lists the Poarch Creek Tribe, based in Atmore, Ala., as 70% owner of Gretna Racing. The American Indian tribe owns most of the land at the facility in Gretna, which is about 25 miles west of Tallahassee. It is land the Poarch Creeks purchased, and is thus not tribal land on which they could build a casino under federal laws.

    The application lists David Romanik, a former Gulfstream Park president, and Marc Dunbar, a partner in the Pennington Law Firm in Tallahassee, as each owning 10% of Gretna Racing. Dunbar also is a lobbyist for Gulfstream Park and for several gaming equipment companies. Gulfstream is not affiliated with Gretna Racing.

    Dunbar said Gretna Racing has a policy of not commenting on pending regulatory applications.

    Gretna Racing plans to hold 40 barrel racing cards between Dec. 1, 2011, and Jan. 15, 2012. An important question is whether the Florida DPMW will have time to approve or deny Gretna Racing’s application before Dec. 1.

    The Florida DPMW has 30 days, starting Sept. 30, to review the application and determine if it is complete. If it deems an application complete, it has up to 90 days to approve or deny it.

    A central issue is an interpretation of definitions of horse racing and Quarter Horse racing in Florida pari-mutuel laws to determine if Gretna Racing’s intended use of Quarter Horses makes barrel racing an eligible event. Those laws require a Quarter Horse meet to have at least half its races as Quarter Horse races. Other races in mixed meets under a Quarter Horse permit can include Thoroughbreds and other designated breeds.

    Dr. Steven Fisch, a veterinarian who is president of the Florida QHRA, said Gretna’s planned barrel racing meet “is an attempt to skirt the rules and have poker.”

    Cox said the North Florida Horsemen’s Association, which was formed last year, reached agreement with Gretna Racing “because we also will provide horses for the non pari-mutuel events they plan to hold the rest of the year.”

    “They want to make it a year-round equestrian center,” said Cox, who breeds and owns horses at a ranch in Quincy, Fla.

    Hialeah Park is the only Florida track that holds Quarter Horse meets. It will hold its third meet from Dec. 10, 2011, through Feb. 16, 2012.

    For the third consecutive meet, Hialeah has a purse agreement with the Florida QHRA. Also for the third straight meet, Hialeah does not plan to hold any Thoroughbred races under its Quarter Horse permit.

    Hialeah is holding Quarter Horse meets primarily because a 2010 Florida law makes it eligible to have a casino with Las Vegas-style slot machines if it holds those meets. A state appeals court is considering a lawsuit by three other Miami-area pari-mutuels that challenges Hialeah’s legal right to have a casino.

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