Florida's Decoupling Issue Puts Politics in a Spin

"Now we're through the looking glass here, people. White is black, and black is white." That was Kevin Costner's character, New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, in the Oliver Stone movie "JFK" disabusing his staff of any notion that their investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy would follow traditional lines. The same "up is down" disorientation seems rampant right now at the intersection of Thoroughbred racing and party politics. Traditional alliances are giving way to alternate realities. Party lines veer off course when racing issues are raised. It hasn't quite reached the mass hysteria of "dogs and cats living together," as warned by Dr. Venkman in "Ghostbusters." But to watch Democrats defying their animal rights benefactors in support of racing in California and Republicans at loggerheads with other Republicans over decoupling in Florida is to wonder if the sun might start rising in the West, just to keep us on our toes. It's hardly going out on a limb to suggest that the upper echelon of the Thoroughbred racing culture is populated by those with conservative political leanings who've found a comfortable home in the "small government" philosophy of the Republican Party. And yet, many of those conservative patrons of the sport have given wholehearted support to the federal oversight imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. By the same token, it was refreshing to hear at least one prominent California Democrat speak out in support of their horse racing constituency after the party has spent years scolding the industry for a litany of sins, both real and imagined, often driven by loud voices and lobbying dollars from animal rights interests. In a recent interview with a local network affiliate, the bedrock Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California's 14th district reasserted his appeal to continue a racing presence at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, which has been threatened with extinction because of the closure of Golden Gate Fields by the Canadian-owned 1/ST Racing, owned by Belinda Stronach. Horse racing, said Swalwell, is "economically, a driver that allows everything else that happens at the fair to happen, and so it is disappointing that we could lose this. I actually had worked to support to expand horse racing in Alameda County to year-round." In Florida, 1/ST Racing has mounted a full-court press to remove its legislated requirement to offer Thoroughbred racing in order to operate a casino, and therefore be able to develop its Gulfstream Park property without that incumbrance. 1/ST Racing's proposed legislation to "decouple" has been carried by two-term Florida representative Adam Anderson, CEO of a real estate investment company. Damon Thayer, a former Kentucky state legislator with deep and abiding ties to the Thoroughbred industry and traditional Republican politics, is among the leadership of a group formed to stifle passage of the decoupling bill, if possible. "Believe me, I find it very ironic that I'm working against a Republican bill in Florida," Thayer said of Anderson's effort on behalf of 1/ST Racing. "It's pretty disappointing, actually, that this particular Republican is pushing a bill destroying tens of thousands of Florida jobs for one Canadian-owned company. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. "This bill has a very weak argument," Thayer said. "There is no problem to solve, legislatively, other than Belinda Stronach wants out of horse racing in Florida and wants to sell Gulfstream Park without horse racing coupled with the possibility of a full-blown casino." On March 17, the Commerce Committee of the Florida House of Representatives passed the decoupling bill, 15-7. The ayes were all Republicans, while two Republicans joined five Democrats in opposition. "It's my belief Gulfstream Park and the Stronach group have been laying the groundwork for years for decoupling," Thayer said. "It's public information that they've invested over $300,000 in candidate campaign committee contributions since 2023. They were in Tallahassee the week before the legislature convened, handing out more checks, so we know it's way north of $300,000. They've played a smart political game." Still, the rush to pass the decoupling bill has surprised even a political veteran like Thayer. "I've never seen something so one-sided as this getting such immediate traction," Thayer said. "A situation where one company—especially one owned by a Canadian citizen in this day and age—could come in and drop so much money, while an entire industry is opposed to it. "Our short-term focus between now and May 2 is to defeat the decoupling bill," Thayer added. "Part two is to figure out a way forward for Florida racing and breeding, knowing that Belinda Stronach wants to sell Gulfstream Park. We need time to figure out if there is a legislative solution that gives everyone a win, including Belinda Stronach." The bill is now eligible to go to the House floor. Opponents are hoping House leadership will delay the process and take a closer look, in the spirit of Rep. David Smith of Seminole County, who was one of the two Republicans on the Commerce Committee to vote against the bill. Apparently, Smith had been briefed by the bill's sponsor and was ready with his support, but committee testimony from more than a dozen representatives of the racing industry—including the classic-winning trainer Jena Antonucci—provided an unsettling revelation. "I thought I understood the bill," Smith said. "I thought all my questions were answered. (Until) the great public testimony we had, nobody really explained, 'if you decouple, this will happen.' But because I don't think I understand the bill well enough, I'm gonna have to vote down today." Such a display of old-fashioned conscience gives Thayer hope. "The House has rushed the bill through their process," Thayer said. "We knew that could happen even before the session started. We're hoping the Senate will be more thoughtful when it comes to this bill, and we know that for the third week in a row the Senate did not post the bill for a committee hearing next week. That's good news." If the decoupling bill can be delayed, Thayer and his allies will try to go on the offensive. "The reality is, 2026 is an election year in Florida," he said. "I think the smart play is to deliver a win for politicians running for reelection. To do damage to the horse industry heading into an election probably isn't going to sell very well to constituents in a lot of places."