February 17, 2012 In 1972, European authorities began their Pattern race system whereby the highest quality black-type events were identified. The Europeans wanted something similar done in North America so the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, TOBA, took on the grading of races in 1973. In 1981, international auction houses, national breeders’ organizations and...Read More
December 13, 2011 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...Read More
Carlos E. Medina, Ocala Star Banner November 21, 2011 In a small North Florida town of fewer than 2,000 people, a firestorm is brewing over the future of Florida horse racing and the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates annually. In mid-October, the Florida Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering granted a license to...Read More
November 21, 2011 “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...Read More
By Kent H. Stirling November 21, 2011 Only Florida could permit something like this to legally take place. But I live in Florida and we are on the verge of having our first pari-mutuel barrel racing facility in the town of Gretna in northern Florida, and so far it is completely legal according to...Read More
