OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Marion County is synonymous with thoroughbred racing–after all, it’s renowned as the Horse Capital of the World.

Horses bred in Ocala and the surrounding communities have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby and in the case of Affirmed, thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown. Numerous other horses that have been broken and trained in the area went on win the world’s biggest races, such as Sovereignty, who won the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and Journalism, who captured this year’s Preakness. Both were broken and trained at Ocala’s Bridlewood Farm.

Thoroughbred racing in Ocala? 

The area’s existing infrastructure, with many of the nation’s best veterinarians, clinics, a major sales company, training centers, transport companies, farriers and tack stores, account for a powerful ecosystem. The one missing component is a live thoroughbred racing meet, but that may change as the state’s two existing thoroughbred tracks located in Hallandale Beach and Oldsmar have considered decoupling their racing permits from their casino and card room respectively.

What would happen next?  A racetrack and entertainment complex in Ocala? An entity has been formed to study its plausibility.

An announcement made at the Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program on Dec. 9, is the first evidence of any type of a plan to pursue a racetrack in Florida that’s attached to an existing license–one that’s totally centric to horse people, owners and breeders in particular, and will have a positive impact on the community and the economy, racing, breeding and sales, said Lonny Powell, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association’s chief executive officer and executive vice president and OTR Permit chief executive officer and executive vice president. Having worked in every facet of the industry, Powell was on the symposium’s panel, Reinventing Racing’s Business Model: Lessons from the State Battles and Policy Shifts.

“The thing about our industry that is always such a challenge, we need to embrace potential solutions, rather than be disappointed that it wasn’t our idea,” said Powell.

The permit in question has existed since 2011. When Powell arrived in Ocala, the permit was freshly approved by the state legislature, and it was a quarter horse permit, and there was a narrow window to convert it to a thoroughbred permit.

Patience and strategy  

It was Powell’s suggestion to have the permit ready to go, and to put it on ice, with the FTBOA board agreeing, until the tracks showed an inclination to not conduct live racing, at a time when the term decoupling was rarely mentioned. The notion would surface shortly thereafter, however. The FTBOA had the prescience to convert the permit and now it’s been taken out of the freezer and is beginning to thaw.

A number of people have asked Powell when someone was going to build a racetrack in Marion County. However, having the right strategy and business model in place are critical components, understanding that you can’t build something that will fail.

“The worst thing you can do is build something that’s not viable, and that’s from paying the bills and having competitive purses,” said Powell. “Those still apply right now.”

After the last legislative session where both Gulfstream Park (Hallandale Beach) and Tampa Bay Downs (Oldsmar) asked for decoupling, with the FTBOA having the only other permit in the state and understanding that if the tracks were to close down or reduce the number of racing dates to the point that it wasn’t enough to sustain an industry, there was a need to move forward with the permit and trying to find a way to make it work.

Putting together the right team

Powell was fortunate enough to be contacted by former City of Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, and through a series of brainstorming sessions, the two men forged a relationship. Levine is a part-time Marion County resident and horse owner, and brought in renowned attorney John Morgan, from Morgan and Morgan, who’s passionate about the thoroughbred industry, and is part of a number of thoroughbred partnerships, primarily in Kentucky. Powell understands what the thoroughbred industry means to the people of Marion County. The Horse Capital of the World trademark is owned by the FTBOA, and it was done in honor of the county and the city. Levine and Morgan formed a Delaware corporation to study the viability of a racetrack. The initiative is in its nascent stages.

“There’s just a real energy,” said Powell, who lives in Marion County. “We all bring different skill sets to the table, but we’re very like-minded. However, there’s a lot of work to go into this. It’s not all solved, it’s not all done, but I do know if you take Team FTBOA and Team OTR, and you add these two gentlemen to the team, they’re folks who are going to devote all of their energies and they are designated liaisons for our industry and our organizations. We’re going to brainstorm this thing together and see if we can make this happen. I’ve never loved living in any place more than Marion County.”

Marion County’s global horse presence

Marion County has more horses per square mile than any other county in the United States. One out of every four horses in the state is a thoroughbred. The thoroughbred industry continues to be an important economic driver, having a $3.3 billion impact on the state, with more than 40,000 people working in the thoroughbred industry statewide, said Powell. The county’s equine infrastructure is amongst the best in the world.

However, Powell wanted to reiterate that the hope is that both tracks continue to race, but the industry has to be responsible and can’t expect to have people offering promises of solutions that aren’t based on substance or the law.

“I salute the FTBOA, the OTR, Philip and John and their entity, and the community for their support,” said Powell. “A lot of work has to happen for this to become a reality. We do have the permit. It’s a thoroughbred permit and because of its structure it could make an impact. I’d like to see things in Marion County that are good for us and with our brand and add to the unique experience of Marion County. Anything horses is such a perfect fit. I love the community, and it’s so entrenched with the thoroughbred business.”

A leader in the industry 

Marion County plays a large role in the thoroughbred industry statewide. Whether they’re Florida-bred horses, those who train in the area, are sold at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company or are conditioned in Ocala later in their racing careers, horses that pass through the Ocala area are making an impact. Outside of thoroughbreds bred in Kentucky, no other state breeding program has been as successful as Florida’s, with Florida-breds winning major stakes races in open company. Breeders have to plan years ahead of time, said Powell.

“God bless the resilience of our Florida breeders that have hung in there and have kept doing business, while this debate in the legislature pushed by the tracks has gone on as long as it has,” said Powell. “Hopefully, this is going to be the last year that we’re going to hear about [decoupling].”