DeSantis Expresses Support for Horsemen in Decoupling Fight in Surprise OBS Visit

Reported in the Thoroughbred Daily News by Sue Finley on Thursday April 17th, 2025

OCALA, FL– Just before the start of the Thursday session of the OBS April 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale,

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stood up at the OBS rostrum to tell the assembled crowd that “you can

count on me as one that is not going to look favorably on legislation that is going to decimate any of our

signature industries.”

The statement was in reference to the decoupling legislation pushed by The Stronach Group that is

currently winding its way through the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. DeSantis stopped

short of saying that he would absolutely veto any bill that comes to his desk that would decouple casino

gaming from live racing in Florida, but the appearance certainly appeared to deal a blow to The Stronach

Group's e􀀁orts to get a decoupling bill passed in Florida.

DeSantis arrived on the sales grounds at 10 a.m. with his wife, Casey, and three children. They were met by

Mike Repole, one of the chief organizers of the appearance, which had been kept under wraps until

Wednesday night. The pair spent 25 minutes looking at horses and talking to horsemen like David

O'Farrell, Barry Eisaman and Nick Zito. In conversations with di􀀁erent people on the sales grounds, and at

the podium before the assembled crowd, DeSantis said that he couldn't understand the support for a bill

that would have so many negative downstream e􀀁ects to one of Florida's signature industries.

“There are certain things that some groups push for; we have a big, diverse state,” he said. “Di􀀁erent

populations can be for di􀀁erent things. That's just the way it goes. I just try to not put my 􀀂nger in the

wind; just do what's right. But on this issue with the horses, it seems to me that we have proposals that will

have the e􀀁ect of harming the industry here in Florida to basically bene􀀂t one special interest. That's not

how you do good policy. And so we're watching all this very carefully and I'm having to play the role now

of having to protect the people of Florida from any sabotage that's going on in the House of

Representatives. The people that you sent there, they're not doing what they said they would.”

DeSantis's appearance was met on several occasions by standing ovations from the assembled crowd.

“On this issue, you can argue it di􀀁erent ways, but are you standing up for Floridians, or are you not?” he

asked. “Are you for the folks who don't even live here, or other interests or are you standing for the

people? I understand the importance of the industry to the state, to the economy, which is important, but

to culture, and way of life and things that people have known for many generations. We'll be looking at

what ends up being produced in the Florida legislature, but you can count me as one that is not going to

look favorably on legislation that is going to decimate any of our signature industries.”

“I feel pretty con􀀁dent saying decoupling ended today”

If DeSantis didn't come right out and say the decoupling issue was dead, Repole did not hesitate to do so.

“I know the governor very well,” said Repole. “He's not only honest; he's bluntly honest. I feel pretty

con􀀂dent saying decoupling ended today. I think if I were the House or the Senate, I'd move on to another

bill and not even waste my time with it.”

“The governor of Florida worries about the people of Florida and the industries that are not just the best

economic industries, but part of the culture of Florida,” he continued. “And horse racing is part of the

tradition of Florida, for a lot longer than he and I have been here. In many ways, Florida is more important

to the breed than even Kentucky. Almost every horse from Kentucky or New York or other tracks, they

come and train here. The training centers are here and if you want to buy a yearling, most people go to

Kentucky. If you want to buy a 2-year-old, you come to Florida. It's such an important part of the fabric of

the state of Florida.”

Repole said that he and DeSantis have a long-time relationship, and that their wives and children were friendly. “I'm excited that today went as well as it did.”

The e􀀁ort to get DeSantis to OBS was a multi-faceted one, said Barry Eisaman, who is on the board of the

newly formed Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, launched to 􀀂ght decoupling. Asked if he thought DeSantis would veto the bill if it arrived on his desk, even though he stopped short of promising that, Eisaman said, “I think so.”

“All of this began when Gulfstream introduced a decoupling bill,” said Eisaman. “It surprised many

horsemen and it really has rallied the horsemen together like nothing I've seen in my lifetime. We all as

horsemen have di􀀁erent interests, but this has brought everybody all together. We have gone to

Tallahassee to several of the committee meetings in the House and Senate.”

Dr. Eisaman said the e􀀁ort to meet with DeSantis started as an initiative by Robert Zarnegin, a prominent

California Republican and supporter of DeSantis for whom Eisaman breaks horses. “We met with

Governor DeSantis three or four weeks ago,” he said.

After his speech, DeSantis sat with his wife and children and Repole, and even bid on a horse–lot 613, a

Practical Joke 􀀂lly who sold to Repole for $140,000. Repole said that DeSantis's children have asked him to

name the 􀀂lly “Epic.” At 11:15, DeSantis went to meet with several industry representatives. His jet left

Ocala at noon.

“Mike Repole has been the quarterback of the team, and he has managed the team very well to get this

done,” said Eisaman. “He's been very, very helpful. You can see the man sitting down there with his wife

and kids. He's going to meet with about 15 of us now for more personal interactions with people so they

can ask him some questions. I think it's a good day for horse racing. ”

Others involved in the initiative include O'Farrell, Mandy Pope and Bill Farish, Eisaman said.

The decoupling saga began Jan. 7, when 1/ST Racing's Gulfstream Park and the Florida horsemen's group

announced that they had reached an agreement to support changes to Chapter 550 of the existing state

legislation's decoupling regulations that would “enable Gulfstream Park's live racing schedule to become

independent of the venue's parimutuel license,” they said in a joint statement at the time. House Bill 105

was 􀀂led Monday, Jan. 6, and would allow tracks to operate slot machines and card games when they are

not running live racing.

The outcry from racing entities was swift. The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen, the Kentucky

Thoroughbred Association, the National HBPA and others issued statements opposing decoupling, and the

Thoroughbred Racing Initiative-an industry collaborative–was launched to 􀀂ght the measure.

Still, the bill continued to advance, 􀀂rst in the Florida House, and in a Senate committee Apr. 1, albeit with a seven-year timetable.

As recently as Monday, the decoupling legislation was taking more twists and turns. A standalone bill that

had already passed out of one legislative committee was temporarily postponed in the state Senate. But

similar language was inserted as an amendment into a separate and much larger gambling bill (HB 1467)

heard that same afternoon during a House Commerce Committee hearing. This large gambling bill was

successfully voted out of that committee, 17 to 9.

The Stronach Group did not respond to a request for a comment on this story.