Horse Racing

Florida Racetrack, Ian .’s Rage Escape Ranch


Florida racetracks and the heart of the state’s livestock and training industries largely escaped the wrath of Hurricane Ian that devastated Gulf Coast communities south of Tampa as it crawled ashore with heavy rain and winds of about 155 mph, according to initial reports from industry officials there.

Lonny Powell, CEO and Executive Vice President of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association based in Ocala, Fla., said watching the news about those hardest hit. around Fort Myers and Port Charlotte brought him to tears but as of 11:30 a.m. on September 29 he had not heard of any significant damage to any Florida Purebred farms.

Powell said the forecast has provided some relative good news for the Ocala area because the storm, which has been downgraded from a hurricane, is no longer expected to directly affect the region as initially feared. .

“It’s just made landfall in this area and it looks like we could get some strong rain bands but it doesn’t look like we’re going to take that direct hit,” Powell said. “The biggest concern for the area will be power lines and trees falling as the ground becomes saturated.”

In the days following the storm, Powell noted that farms in the Ocala area may face some challenges in accessing fuel and groceries. He notes that most farms have generators to provide any needed power in case of an emergency.

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Powell said most Thoroughbred ranches he’d heard of kept their horses on the property, but he was pleased to see the World Equestrian Center and Florida Agricultural Center and Horse Park adopt horses.

“I noticed that people with horses are people who care,” he said. “They care about horses and they care about people. People are checking in on each other and doing everything to help.”

Before the storm, the World Equestrian Center welcomed some 3,000 horses to its state-of-the-art facility west of Ocala. At the launch of WEC, the Roberts family built facilities that could withstand a Category 4 hurricane, according to press officer Candace Fitzgerald. That foresight, and the generosity of the WEC, would see its 3,000 stalls filled free of charge for owners transporting their horses there.

National Public Radio reports that the center, which was established in December 2021, has also welcomed a variety of animals, including a kangaroo.

Margo Flynn, Tampa Bay Downs‘Vice president of marketing and publicity, and Mike Henry, who handles track communications at the track, both reported no damage to the track in the town of Oldsmar, north-west of downtown Tampa.

“We have small debris and no damage. We have some low-lying areas with water but nothing out of the ordinary,” Flynn said. “The (hurricane) hit has helped us a lot but obviously hasn’t helped anyone around Fort Myers, so our hearts go out to all of them.”

No horses were settled at Tampa Bay Downs, which did not open barns until October 26 and allowed training to begin on November 2 for the opening day of November 23.

Gulfstream Park on the East Coast at Hallandale Beach is not in the path of the storm, so everything is going according to plan to host the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series on October 1 with the My Dear Girl division for kids. 2-year-olds and the In Reality division for 2-year-olds, according to Powell.

“It can be tough for some of our members down there but the storm passed South Florida — once — so it’s going to be a great day of the race,” Powell said.

Tom Ventura, president of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., said the Ocala area only experienced high winds and rain with no consequences.

“Obviously you never know how these things are going to react. There’s been a lot of damage across the state, but we’re not affected by it. Many businesses have closed today for preparation. for this,” he said, noting that the OBS office was closed today, as was the FTBOA office.

Ventura doesn’t expect the storm’s aftermath to affect last year’s October Sale, which begins on October 11 with a select session and is followed by October 12 with an open session.

“The biggest part of the puzzle will be airport transportation and road conditions. I think that will be solved and don’t expect it to affect things,” he said.

In a press release, Tampa International Airport said it intends to reopen at 10 a.m., Friday, September 30. The airport was temporarily closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday before Ian landed.

“TPA did not suffer any serious damage during the storm,” the statement said. Airport operations and maintenance staff inspected the airport and facilities on Thursday morning.



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