The owner of Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park will no longer allow broadcasts of its race meetings to be shown at the Caribbean island’s racetrack
A major racecourse group has announced it is cutting its broadcast to Puerto Rico over its ‘unacceptable’ horse welfare record. 1/ST Racing owns both Santa Anita racecourse in California and Gulfstream Park in Florida and its year-round race meetings are simulcast for betting purposes on the Caribbean Island.
From Saturday the TV signal will be cut to Hipódromo Camarero because of “increasing concerns regarding horse welfare and safety at that racetrack”. The decision, which has the support of horsemen’s groups in Florida and California ,will cost 1/ST a substantial sum in lost income.
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The group’s president Aidan Butler said: “Exporting our signal to Hipódromo Camarero represents millions of dollars of handle to 1/ST Racing but we, along with our horsemen’s groups in Florida and California, have agreed this is a necessary step to ensure Puerto Rican racing stakeholders understand that we will not do business with individuals or companies that do not make horse safety, welfare and post-racing retirement a top priority.
“I am grateful for the support of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association as well as the Thoroughbred Owners of California in this decision and together we hope Hipódromo Camarero will work quickly to improve the treatment of horses both during and following their racing careers.
He continued: “In addition to discontinuing the simulcast signal to Hipódromo Camarero, any license holder who chooses to ship or sell a horse to Puerto Rico will no longer be welcome to race or train at 1/ST facilities.
“We are mindful of the potential impact these policies could have on the horses currently racing in Puerto Rico. To help protect and support the safety and welfare of these racehorses, we will be donating $100,000 to the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare.”
Recent examples include the case of a mare who was sold after racing at Gulfstream to Puerto Rico, where she ran 50 times in three years until she broke down and was euthanized earlier this year. Campaigners have highlighted data showing more than 1,000 horses were put down at the track between 2021 and 2024.
“The Florida horsemen stand firmly behind 1/ST Racing’s decision to suspend its racing signal to Puerto Rico,” said Tom Cannell, President of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
“The ongoing welfare issues surrounding the treatment of thoroughbreds on the island are unacceptable, and meaningful change will only come when the industry demands accountability. We commend 1/ST for taking this principled stand.”
Bill Nader, President of Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), said: “There is no place in our sport for neglect or inhumane treatment of horses.
“The TOC fully supports this action by 1/ST RACING as a necessary step and its $100,000 donation to help drive home the message that the horse must come first.”
1/ST had already banned the transport of racehorses by cargo ship from its facilities which led to Puerto Rico changing its policies on horse shipment, but then exposed inadequate funding for aftercare.
As a result, 1/ST required the connections of any horse sold from one of its racing or training facilities to deposit money into an account with the horsemen to cover the aftercare and potential return shipment to the United States upon the horses’ retirement.
Despite those measures and meetings with representatives from Puerto Rico’s Racing Commission and Hipódromo Camarero, 1/ST said “significant issues remain necessitating these new policy actions”.