OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Two weeks ago, a new company named Gilligan Racing, LLC issued a press release announcing its intention to develop “a world-class Thoroughbred racing facility in Marion County, Florida.”
The release by Gilligan Racing—a consortium of business and horseracing interests, including Florida attorney John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan fame—seemed to give weight to the rumblings last year about a potential Ocala racetrack. Those rumblings got louder during the state’s spring legislative session amid uncertainty over decoupling gaming licenses from the remaining tracks in Florida.
OK, fine, so a group of investors and experts is looking to build a new Thoroughbred racetrack in Ocala. This group needs a racing permit, and there’s only one in existence in the State of Florida—one that’s been held like an ace in the hole for 15 years, under the stewardship of Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, a nonprofit wholly owned by the Ocala-based Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association…