Ocala Stud was named as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) State of Florida Thoroughbred Racehorse Breeder of the Year at the TOBA 34th Annual National Awards Dinner held at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, September 7. Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables also was named TOBA’s National Owner of the Year, and John...Read More
The FHBPA-sponsored Not Surprising Stakes was captured by Sterling Drive, a 10-1 shot from the barn of Milt Wolfson for N.T.S. Stable on July 6th. The race brings fond memories to the Van Worp family, who made the pilgrimage down to witness this tribute to their hard knocking gelding. A true bargain, Not Surprising brought...Read More
On Friday June 28th, after the first race, the FHBPA saluted Everardo Parra Barcena as the June Groom of the Month. A native of Mexico, married with one child, Everardo has been working with horses for the last 16 years since arriving in the states. He began in New York, and worked in the barn...Read More
Training Thoroughbreds to make a living as a single mother wasn’t easy for Terri Pompay. Slogging seven days a week on the Florida and Northeastern racing circuit meant she often had to leave her young son, Chance, in her truck while she worked. Like any other kid, Chance spent some of his time alone playing...Read More
The FHBPA sponsored stakes schedule hit the halfway mark, when trainer Robert Falcone Jr’s “Supercommittee,” hit the wire first in winning the Ginger Punch. Four more stakes remain in the series with the Not Surprising slated for July 6. The Ginger Punch, honored the Adena Farms, Stronach home bred by Awesome Again and trained by...Read More
The third of the FHBPA’s Stake Series is in the books, as Second Mate, owned and trained by Mike Maker, rolled home 1 ¼ lengths ahead of the field in the Soldier’s Dancer. Looking back, the David Vivian-trained millionaire gelding, Soldier’s Dancer (Lost Soldier out of a Gate Dancer mare), was a champion Florida bred...Read More
The FHBPA is pleased to recognize Eddie Gonzales as the Groom of the Month for May. Eddie, 28, is a native of Guatemala. He is married with 2 children who are currently living in Guatemala. He is employed in the Palm Meadows barn of trainer Elizabeth Dobles. Eddie enjoyed working around horses and cows in...Read More
Florida horsemen are facing tough challenges as we always have, and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association is hard at work behind the scenes taking necessary steps to protect our members’ livelihoods. When it comes to legal, regulatory and legislative countermeasures, these hurdles are often multi-dimensional. The situation at Calder is fluid and ongoing, and the FHBPA will continue to...Read More
The second of ten FHBPA sponsored $100,000 Stakes Races went into the books May 18th, when the Kathleen O’Connell trained Stormy Embrace romped home in the “Musical Romance.” The race was named after the Breeders Cup winning filly, owned by Pinnacle Racing Stable and trained by now retired Bill Kaplan. We took a walk down...Read More
