FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Statement from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Regarding Decoupling in Florida
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) fully supports the Florida owners, breeders, and horsemen’s stand against the decoupling of live horseracing from the ability of a racetrack to conduct alternative gaming in Florida.
Thoroughbred racing and breeding support a far-reaching agricultural ecosystem and preserve greenspace. Beyond the Thoroughbred farms and training centers are tack and feed suppliers and the farms that grow the feed, equine services and products, professional services, hospitality, construction and farm equipment, and transportation businesses all supported by Thoroughbred breeding and racing. This agricultural ecosystem needs racetracks and live racing to exist and vice versa. Decoupling incentivizes racetrack operators to end live racing and break the relationship between farm and track thereby causing great harm to the agricultural economy.
A healthy Florida Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry is not only important to those owners, breeders, and horsemen in Florida, but nationwide. Any harm to the Florida Thoroughbred industry brought about by decoupling will be acutely felt throughout the U.S. Thoroughbred industry and therefore TOBA is opposed to decoupling.
Contact:
Andrew Schweigardt
(859) 277-5891