Hold your horses: Gambling change could end harness racing at Pompano Park

Pompano Park’s status as the “winter capital of harness racing” could be coming to an end.

A proposed change to Florida’s gambling law would allow Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park to end live racing.

Pompano Park is the state’s only harness track, and the new gambling bill could end that horse-racing tradition in Florida, said Lauren Jackson, a lobbyist representing the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association.

“The entire industry would be left with nowhere to go in the state, and it would ultimately cost these families the only livelihood most of them have ever known,” she told state senators on Monday. “These families have been through a roller-coaster of emotions on whether their way of life will continue and whether their industry will survive.”

The legislation would allow casinos to operate card games without also having to run quarter horse or harness races or jai alai matches. That is known in industry jargon as “decoupling.” The state’s two thoroughbred tracks — Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach and Tampa Bay Downs — would still be required to offer live racing.

The bill (SB 7080) passed the Florida Senate’s Regulated Industries Committee on Monday.

A redevelopment plan calls for transforming the Pompano Park property into an upscale retail, dining, office and entertainment hub. The 233-acre property has been home to a harness racing since 1964.

A spokeswoman for Caesars Entertainment, which owns and operates Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park, could not be reached for comment Monday.

The Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association has been in negotiations with Pompano Park about the future of racing, but the gambling legislation announced last week “upset the balance of power,” Jackson said.

The harness racing industry directly employs about 5,000 people in Florida and provides income to thousands more in supporting industries, she said.

Harness racing resembles a scene from the iconic film “Ben-Hur,” where racers ride in two-wheel carts pulled by horses.

The sport’s popularity has waned over the last few decades with three tracks closing — Tropical Paradise in Hialeah, Ponce De Leon Raceway in Bayard near Jackonsville, and Seminole Park in Casselberry near Orlando.

The Senate committee also advanced a bill that would create a five-member, governor-appointed Gaming Control Commission with law enforcement authority over gambling laws.

Negotiations continue on an overarching gambling deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida that could lead to legalized sports betting.

SUN SENTINEL FILE Wally Hennessey works out two of his 13 horses on the practice track at Pompano Park Harness Track. A bill moving through the Florida Legislature would end harness racing at the park.