HIALEAH, FL—JULY 26, 2016—The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, which has represented owners and trainers at Hialeah Park, has filed a petition challenge arguing that the Florida State Department of Business and Professional Regulation improperly issued licenses to Hialeah Park.

The case stems from a decision by Hialeah Pak entering into an agreement with a newly formed organization, the South Florida Quarter Horse Association, to represent owners and trainers.

The department’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering issued racing and card room licenses to Hialeah after the formation of the new association, which the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association argues, in part, is a “captive” group. “For the first time ever, the Division (of Pari-Mutuel Wagering) is allowing pari-mutuel permit holders to proceed with dictating racing dates and controlling additional gaming revenues based on an agreement with a captive horsemen’s association created at the whim of the individual pari-mutuel facility,” the 14-page challenge says.

“Individual facilities will be able to control the disbursement of revenues generated by wagering on the horse races as well as other gaming activities without any true input from a representative of an independent horsemen’s association contrary to the established policy and intent of Florida’s pari-mutuel statutes.”

The hearing date for the case, assigned Monday to Administrative Law Judge Lawrence Stevenson, should be set for sometime in the next 30 days with a decision within 30 days from the hearing date.

"We should know where things are by this time in September," FQHRA President Ron Smith said today. "We are in good shape and this challenge, should we win, will solidify what we have been trying to do in the legislature for four years. If we win, it should open up more opportunities for racing in Florida."