Lonny Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association, and P. J. Campo, vice president of racing for The Stronach Group, have announced that the FTBOA will be sponsoring a new Florida Sire Stakes race at Gulfstream in 2018 and offering a new FSS bonus to be attached to the GI Florida Derby.
The new race, The FTBOA Wildcat Heir Florida Sire S., will offer a purse of $150,000 and will be open to FTBOA registered FSS eligible 3-year-olds and older. The Wildcat Heir will be run at a mile on the dirt on the final Saturday of the Summer meet, Sept. 29, and will be run as a co-feature on a card featuring more than $1 million in Florida-bred prize money.
“The creation this year of the Wildcat Heir is just one of several examples of how we continue to evolve and grow the Florida Sire S., which is a very important promotional and economic platform for our Florida breeders, stallion owners and thoroughbred industry,” Powell said. “The FSS is our major stakes and special race purse enhancement contribution to our state's racing programs and directly benefits Florida owners and trainers. We are very excited to offer our first Sire Stakes for older horses and think it will be a nice addition to an already big FSS card and day at Gulfstream.”
In addition to sponsoring the new stake races, the Ocala-based state breeders' association is offering a new $100,000 “Win-Only” bonus should an FSS eligible horse win the track's Florida Derby. The FTBOA will also offer FSS “Win-Only” bonuses on two of the track's popular summer stakes fixtures for 3-year-olds, the GIII Carry Back S. and the $75,000 Azalea S.
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