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FTHA Represented at NHC ChampionshipsThe FTHA sent two qualifiers to the 25th National Thoroughbred Racing Associations National Handicapping Championships held last month at The Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. The tournament is a 3 day event with entrants handicapping 45 races using a mythical $2 win place bet on each race. The two qualifiers representing the Florida Horsemen were Michael Briganti, a first time qualifier, who resides in Toronto Canada and races at Gulfstream Park and FTHA Board Treasurer Tom Cannell who was making his 2nd appearance at the event. There were 765 entries into the weekend and top prize from a $3 million dollar purse pool went to Mike Gillum of Indianapolis who took home a tidy $800,000 check. Qualifying for the March 2025 event has begun and earning a spot into this prestigious event should be on every handicappers bucket list. ... See MoreSee Less
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Trainer Ralph Nicks Retires Trainer Ralph Nicks ended his training career on Sunday when he saddled Tap My Belle in the 3rd at Gulfstream Park. Nicks, a former FHBPA Board Member, totaled 722 winners that earned $30,258,396 in purses over a career that began back when young Ralph worked with his father and continued under the tutelage of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. There were many Stakes winners along the road including 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Champion Caledonia Road. Ralph, who has been a fixture in South Florida Racing Circles over the past decade, will begin a well earned break and we fellow horsemen wish him the best as he enters a new chapter in life. ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy Florida Derby Day !!! Gulfstream Park ... See MoreSee Less
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The FTHA, in cooperation with the Backstretch Chaplaincy, treated over 500 individuals to festive BBQ nights earlier this week at both Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows Training Center. Executive Director Herb Oster along with Pastor Tom and his assistant Guillermo Fernandez hosted the events, where they had a professional photographer there to record the fun. Some 500 dinners were served and there were prizes galore. 50 bicycles were raffled off as well as 20 televisions and 20 microwave ovens. The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation donated cash and t-shirts to the events and the Louisiana HBPA contributed a $2,000 donation in the name of our late friend Lou Smith. A thank you goes out to all of the volunteers, among them Board member Jeff Sisken, who assisted and helped to make the events a huge success. These events as well as organized trips to water parks, and recently to see the shows at Cirque du Soliel are ways we show our appreciation to the workers and their families.The Florida horsemen have long prided themselves in their efforts to aid and assist the hundreds of tireless backstretch employees that help keep the racing machinery going. Benevolence has and will remain on the forefront of the FTHA’S focus. ... See MoreSee Less
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Behind the scenes of Florida Thoroughbred racing is a vibrant, often unseen world known as the “backstretch.”  It’s created by hundreds of independent businesses—both large and small.  Through the labor-intensive, long-term and high-dollar financial investment required to get a young Thoroughbred ready for competition, horse owners and trainers create thousands of jobs that drive over $1 billion a year through Florida’s economy—from breeding and buying, to training and campaigning.