BY DAVID O’FARRELL

Editor’s Note: This Opinion Piece Appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat on March 17

For nearly 70 years, my family has poured everything into Florida’s thoroughbred racing industry — starting with my grandfather, who put Florida-bred horses on the national stage and proved that Kentucky wasn’t the only place to raise champion runners. My father carried that legacy forward, and today, as the third generation at Ocala Stud Farm, I am fighting to protect everything my family and thousands of others have built from a misguided and misrepresented proposal in the legislature.

"Monday’s vote in the House Commerce Committee was disappointing. Let me be clear: The latest changes to HB 105 are not a compromise — they are designed to scuttle Florida’s vital Thoroughbred industry."

BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM

For Deborah Silveira, the magnetic pull toward racehorses transcends mere fascination-it is an unshakable calling that defied both conventional wisdom and personal hardship.

"I don't know where my love for horses came from, but all I've ever wanted to do was ride racehorses," Silveira said. “I dreamed of being the first woman jockey to win the Kentucky Derby.”

BY ALICIA HUGHES, OBS PRESS OFFICE (EDITED)

OCALA, FL-The catalogue for the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training is now available online at obssales.com. The four-day sale will take place April 15-18 with each session beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

The four-day sale will take place April 15-18 with each session beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Hips 1-302 will sell April 15 with Hips 303-604 going April 16. April 17 will offer Hips 605-906 with the sale concluding April 18 with Hips 907-1207.