Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association

07/02/2026

The FHBPA wishes everyone a happy and safe Independence Day.

06/25/2026

Pastor Tom and the His Place Ministries team hosted a much needed splash day for the backstretch workers from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center with assistance from the FHBPA and Gulfstream Park. Refreshments, lunch and dessert were also provided by His Place Ministries. The annual trips were held over two days to accomodate nearly 100 from both locations.

06/25/2026

Good Day: Well, we find ourselves entering the summer doldrums that come with racing in South Florida. The sales season at OBS concluded last week and we were again there with a table to pass out condition books and stakes schedules as we worked to support the purchase and racing of Florida Breds. The current purse structure and bonuses make it a very nice payday for a Florida bred win. Turf racing will return on July 3 and we are seeing extra work performed on the main track with dark Tuesdays in an effort to improve the racetrack in general. Racing will switch from Fridays to Mondays on July 13 for a minimum of 7 weeks. The thought is that with Delmar and Saratoga running, our share of the wagering dollar should favor us versus Parx and Indianapolis on those days. Gulfstream will put out this week the marketing plan that includes their multi race wagering offerings for Mondays. The major concern here and throughout the industry continues to be the lack of horses available. If you look at the field sizes across the specter you see many 5 and 6 horse fields. Parx, Delaware, Monmouth, Aqueduct, Laurel and Colonial in such close proximity really spread out the available stock in the Mid-Atlantic. Our field size continues to be above average and we appreciate the many trainers and owners who have committed to staying with us during this meet. There is good money to be made with our current purse structure. Nothing of substance to report as to long term racing venues in Florida but there are any number of rumors floating out there. While that occurs, we will continue to focus on our racing responsibilities. Lastly the end of the month is rapidly approaching and we encourage all to make sure their license situation is addressed accordingly.

Thanks Tom Cannell

04/08/2026

Attention Trainers/Owners
FHBPA Stakes Day:
Six $100K Florida Bred Stakes Races to be run on Saturday, April 25th
Nominations Due Saturday, April 11th

• 4+FM --- 6 and one-half Furlongs --- Dirt $100K
• 3YO --- 6 Furlongs --- Dirt $100K
• 3YOF --- 6 Furlongs --- Dirt $100K
• 4+FM --- Mile --- Turf $100K
• 4+ --- Mile and one-sixteenth --- Turf $100K
• 4+ --- 6 and one-half Furlongs --- Dirt $100K

03/06/2026

02/25/2026

Backside Appreciation 2026 Donation Request

02/18/2026

The FHBPA election is now in progress. Electronic voting will remain open until 11:59 PM EST on March 16, 2026. If you are an owner or trainer licensed in Florida and have not yet received your ballot email, please check your spam folder. If it is not in your spam folder, please call the election helpdesk at 1-866-720-4357 to request your validation number. The subject line for the election email reads as follows: FHBPA Election – Vote Now!

02/02/2026

ATTN MEMBERS: Live voting for the 2026 Board Elections begins Friday, February 13, 2026, and ends on Monday, March 16, 2026. If you have not already done so and you intend to vote, you MUST contact Debra at, [email protected] with the email address at which you wish to receive your ballot. Thank you.

01/21/2026

FHBPA Members,

Current Florida HBPA members are eligible to compete for free in an exclusive online qualifier to the $4.5 million-estimated National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), scheduled for March 13-15, 2026, at Horseshoe Las Vegas. The online qualifier, which will be held on Jan. 31, includes a $500 airfare voucher and a four-night stay at Horseshoe Las Vegas.

The NHC is the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities, horse racing and handicapping websites, and Advance Deposit Wagering companies each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. The 2026 NHC is estimated to offer prize money and travel awards totaling more than $4.5 million. The winner will take home an estimated $825,000 and will be named the 2026 Horseplayer of the Year honored at the 2027 Eclipse Awards.

The “FHBPA NHC Handicapping Challenge” is an online qualifier consisting of mythical win-place wagering on Gulfstream Park races. See below on instructions on how to play.

1. Go to horseplayers.com/contest/2226263 to register for the January 31 exclusive FHBPA NHC contest.
2. Click on the SIGN UP box at the top right-hand corner of the page. You will need to provide the information required.
3. You will receive an email to activate your account.
4. Return to the link. You will add one entry to your cart. There will be no charge.
5. The contest races will be available on Friday, January 30 and you will be able to start making your selections- click on the View/Make Pick box. All selections must be made prior to the first contest race scheduled post time.

Please note this contest is exclusive for current Florida HBPA members with at least one start at Gulfstream Park in the previous twelve months. If the winner is not a current FHBPA member the NHC prize package will go to the next highest finisher that is a current FHBPA member. The winner will be announced after a 48-hour audit period. This is a good opportunity to pack your bags for Vegas!

The Official Online Qualifying Site of the BCBC and NHC

01/07/2026

Reminder: This year’s FHBPA Board Election will be conducted ONLINE only. If you intend to vote, please provide Debra at the FHBPA office with your email address so that our election company can send a ballot to you via email. Debra’s email is: [email protected]

Recordatorio: Las elecciones de la Junta Directiva de FHBPA de este año se realizarán ÚNICAMENTE en línea. Si desea votar, por favor, proporcione su dirección de correo electrónico a Debra en la oficina de FHBPA para que nuestra empresa encargada de las elecciones pueda enviarle la papeleta de votación por correo electrónico. La dirección de correo electrónico de Debra es: [email protected]