Q & A - NEW FTBOA PRESIDENT GEORGE ISAACS

The Florida Horse Editor-in-Chief Brock Sheridan had an opportunity to speak with new FTBOA President George Isaacs to discuss his experience in the Florida Thoroughbred industry, as an FTBOA board member and his priorities as president of the Association.

TFH—Congratulations on your election as FTBOA president and board chair—the Association’s “top volunteer.” Please describe your path as an engaged FTBOA member that gave you the opportunity to serve in this role.

GI—This is the second time I have served on the board, after rotating off once before due to term limits. When I served the first time, I learned about the internal functioning of the FTBOA and how the board shapes policy as it relates to the specific issues facing the Florida breeding and racing industry.

These efforts are much more complex than meets the eye, and many of the decisions involve the passage, implementation, or interpretation of state laws and regulations, which can make things tricky as it relates to politics at the state level.

Ultimately, because I have spent more than 30 years working at Bridlewood Farm—which is still a major Florida breeding operation—I want to do my part to bolster the vitality of our Florida industry.

TFH—Can you talk about recently retired—perhaps temporary in some cases—board members, new incoming board members, and the board in general?

GI—Let me take a very deep breath before I start answering this one. The last six presidents in order were Fred Brei, Dr. Phil Matthews, Greg Wheeler, George Russell, Brent Fernung, and Valerie Dailey. What is amazing to me, is that each of them turned out to be the right person for the job at exactly the right time for the board, the Association, and the industry. All of these past presidents were deeply committed to the organization and had their own unique strengths that they brought to the table. Our newest board members, Jerry Campbell, Mike Hall, and Mary Lightner, all bring diverse business backgrounds to the board and are fully invested in our business from a racing and breeding perspective. Sometimes I think the membership loses sight of the fact that everyone on the board is not only a volunteer, but they also have their own hardearned money invested in Florida-breds and our industry. It only stands to reason that all of them would do their level best to strengthSerita Hult Photo en the value of Florida-breds in the sales ring and on the racetrack.

TFH—What do you see as the greatest strengths of the FTBOA, its programs, and its people?

GI—Because I am a working man with boots-on-the-ground, I have witnessed a very positive change in the culture and team dynamic at the FTBOA under the experienced and watchful eye of CEO Lonny Powell. He has handpicked and forged a small team that does a tremendous amount of work. Each of them lives and breathes Team FTBOA. All of them do their own vital part in promoting the value of the Association and the Florida-bred.

I am personally impressed by the positive team atmosphere and how everyone works so cohesively.

TFH—As president, you have pledged to increase awareness and participation in the Florida Thoroughbred Political Action Committee. Please discuss the PAC a little more, why it is import-

ant, and how FTBOA members, owners, breeders, and general supporters might get involved.

GI—As I just became president on Oct. 21, I am just beginning to explore how we can grow much needed PAC support. We all know that, in government, raising political contributions is an important part of getting a seat at the table so your industry’s voice can be heard. Our Association’s lobbyist, Matt Bryan, has done a remarkable job representing our interests in Tallahassee with a paltry PAC budget. Because we are competing against giant gambling interests that have the capacity to spend millions of dollars on lobbying, we have to find a more equitable way amongst us as stakeholders to arm him with more PAC funds to represent our industry on key issues and continue to protect and grow our piece of the pie. This is a very important item to me, and I am confident, with all the brain power on our board, that we can move the needle in the right direction.

Most pathways for industry progress go through Tallahassee. FTBOA is always focused on creating, cultivating, and strengthening the strongest network possible in our state capitol. It requires more than talent and hard work, which we’ve had plenty of...It also requires money.

I encourage you as a breeder to consider making a financial contribution to our political action committee so we can successfully fight these battles in Tallahassee. This can be done by automatically contributing a small percentage of your breeder awards.

Please contact Smith, Bryan & Myers, Inc., at (850) 224-5081 or mbryan@smithbryanandmyers.com, and provide your name and the names of the partnerships for your horses to send 5% of your breeder awards to the PAC. Proper funding of our PAC is essential. Donating a small percentage of your breeder’s awards really does make a big difference and helps us educate legislators about the economic impact our industry has on the state.

TFH—Please give us a brief overview of your involvement in the Thoroughbred industry—specifically the Florida Thoroughbred industry.

GI—I moved to Marion County in 1989 to start my career at Bridlewood Farm as the stallion manager. My goal was always to reach the position of general manager of a large Thoroughbred farm. I was fortunate to meet Allen Paulson in the fall of 1991, and I was hired to be his general manager from then until my return to Bridlewood in the summer of 1996. I was blessed that Mr. Appleton called me at that time and offered me the opportunity to return. From then until 2008, I would summarize by stating that the farm flourished and had many successes. Skip Trial, Jules, Stormy Atlantic, Halo’s Image, and Put it Back were a few of the stallions during that time. Wild Event, Forbidden Apple, Southern Image, In Summation, and David Junior were just a few of the Grade 1 winners and Florida champions that we bred during that time period. In January 2008, Mr. Appleton passed, and we basically transitioned from a breed-to-race to a breed-to-sell program. Ultimately, it was because we became a commercially successful enterprise that we were able to sustain ourselves until the farm was sold to the Malones in the summer of 2013. My entire period of employment for the Appleton’s, Art and Martha, may they rest Serita Hult Photo in peace, and then their daughter Linda A. Potter, who was also an FTBOA board member, is full of treasured memories. They loved Bridlewood and were great stewards of the farm and the employees. Linda charged me with selling the farm with one direct caveat: “It must be sold in its entirety as a Thoroughbred nursery to honor my parents’ legacy and to keep the employees working, and it can never be sold to a developer.”

I would say thanks to her orders, mission accomplished by the both of us!

TFH—Tell us about historic Bridlewood Farm and owner John Malone, the globally successful businessman, landowner, and philanthropist.

GI—This alone could be a column all by itself. I always say that I feel it was providential that the Malones found Bridlewood and me. What are the odds that the largest private landowners in the United States came to Bridlewood and knocked on the door? The backstory, however, is that their nephew went to the Marion School on the Golden Ocala property that belonged to the Castro family and grew up in Ocala. When they were coming to Ocala to look at farmland, John Malone asked his nephew about the nicest farms in the area and he remembered Bridlewood. The Malones knocked on the door in February 2013 and, after several visits, they were “all in.” When they purchased Bridlewood in August 2013, it was 800 acres and zero horses. We are now more than 2,200 acres, and we currently have 80 Bridlewood-owned horses and another 160 horses under management. We have 31 mares of our own—all of them were bred in Kentucky but they each foal in Florida to produce Florida-breds. To further that point, every foal that has ever been bred by Bridlewood since its opening in 1976 has been a Florida-bred. We have been represented by two purchased horses who became Grade 1 winners in Moonshine Memories and Tapwrit.

As with any breeder, we are striving each day to hit that bull-