Dissatisfied with the direction of racing in Florida and its future amid track operator 1/ST Racing's desire to decouple Thoroughbred racing from its casino at Gulfstream Park, owner Carlo Vaccarezza has formed a horsemen's group. He intends to have the group officially represent horsemen in the region, replacing the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and contest action from 1/ST Racing that he feels jeopardizes racing in South Florida.
Vaccarezza said an executive director for the group would be announced early next week and a board of directors shortly afterward.
On Jan. 30, this group—calling itself the South Florida Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association—launched its website, soliciting sign-ups to "to act as your sole and exclusive representative to negotiate and execute, or refuse to execute, any agreements with the Thoroughbred racetracks in the State of Florida concerning the racing of Thoroughbred horses."
Whether the new group can maintain that name is uncertain. It is not yet an affiliate of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, and it would need to meet numerous parameters to become one, said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA. Additionally, to represent horsemen in the area for agreements with tracks, they would need to be able to make a case that it represents the majority of the thousands of horsemen in the area.
Hamelback said the National HBPA shares a common interest with Vaccarezza in the desire for sustained racing in South Florida, and "I've tried to help him." But in terms of becoming an affiliate and using the HBPA name, they "have not ticked any of the boxes other than signing something that said that they would supply everything when it was available."
Both groups plan to fight decoupling, which contributed to the demise of Standardbred racing and greyhound racing in Florida. Those operators were able to focus instead on running casinos.
Hamelback said lobbyists from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association and the Tampa Bay HBPA will be present for a subcommittee meeting to discuss decoupling in the state capital of Tallahassee Feb. 5.
Vaccarezza said Thursday that the loss of Thoroughbred racing in Florida would create a "huge void" felt throughout the country.
A former trainer and successful restauranteur, Vaccarezza expressed frustrations about the FTHA's initial handling of decoupling and what he described as contradictory remarks from 1/ST Racing executives. The FTHA's board initially voted to support the decoupling plan, but after threat-of-closure comments made by Keith Brackpool on behalf of 1/ST Racing, they announced Jan. 24 they would "reassess" its agreement with 1/ST Racing.
The FTHA added they would conduct a comprehensive analysis of all alternatives for continued racing in South Florida and closely monitor all legislative or other steps that could put long-term racing in Florida at risk.
The 73-year-old Vaccarezza believes the new group can better represent horsemen in dealings with 1/ST Racing. He said he does not desire a leadership position, only to be a member to help sustain the sport for younger people, such as his son, Nick, a trainer.
Speaking of his generation, "We're on borrowed time; we're at the eighth pole," he said, referring to a point one furlong before the finish. "The problem is, what is going to happen with this game? This is a beautiful game, and we have to face it—the people at (the FTHA) have shown they're incapable of doing the job."
