Florida Horse Racing at its Best

Florida horse racing at its best is not what those who first opposed it foresaw when they tried to keep horse racing in Florida from ever happening. Judging from the latest horse racing news some may conclude their biblically based warnings were right, but as the bible itself points out, there is nothing evil of itself but rather comes down to us and the choices we make. Throughout Florida's horse racing history there have been those who through poor choices have fulfilled nearly every prediction of those early critics from gambling addiction to track owners battling each other for every racing cent they can get. There is however another side to that coin which should not be overlooked conveying the image of Florida horse racing at its very best. That image was also created through choices, albeit much better ones. Like for example a florist named James Donn Sr. who drawing upon his keen business sense as well as his masterful landscaping skills chose to help turn the shattered racetrack dreams of a young entrepreneur who had sacrificed everything into a place called Gulfstream. Or what about Stephan Zachar's contributions not only to the Florida thoroughbred, but his consideration for both the racing fan and stable worker in his innovative designs at Calder And as for the horses themselves, it brings to mind names like Carl Rose or James (Uncle Jimmy) Bright who chose to ignore the naysayers and prove that a horse raised and trained under the Florida sun could be just as big, just as beautiful and just as fast as any horse in the world. As every jockey knows, a horse race can be won or lost by making the right choices at the right time. We can only hope the ones having to make those decisions now and in the future will remember the men and women who have made the right ones in the past because they truly are Florida horse racing at its best.

Read more about the fascinating story of Florida Horse racing in Charlene Johnson's, Florida Thoroughbred.

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The Florida Cowboy - Desoto to Six Gun Territory

Amazingly, even Six Gun Territory never really gave the Florida cowboy his due. From the days of Juan Ponce and Hernando Desoto when the first horses set foot on the sandy beaches of Florida, a real legacy of adventure and toil began in this state that continues even to this day. Spanish cattle as well were the first to be established among the scrub oak and palmettos of Florida with the quality of their breeding like that of the horse, being respected now as it was then. And as for the Florida cowboy himself, or 'cowman' as they're more freqently called here than out west, their legacy is every bit as wild and romantic as their western counterpart although mysteriously overlooked by most writers, movie producers and yes even our own favorite pre-Disney World cowboy themed park - Six Gun Territory Really though, even those old gunfights we enjoyed so much at Six Gun were not unknown in Florida back when the Ashley Gang came ridin' into town. Indians as well were as much a part of the Florida frontier as out west with their continued presence in the state today a testament to their courage and defiance through the most costly U.S. campaign ever waged against Native Americans. They too share a history with those men and women who have made a living in Florida from the business of riding horses and raising cattle and though for a time the Seminoles were stripped of that heritage, they have now reclaimed it and are as strong in the cattle industry in Florida as ever. The history of the Florida Cowman is also unique in that they not only shared many of the same hardships and challenges endured by the western cowboy such as cattle rustling and other types of rattlesnakes but also the rough Florida landscape with its swamps, mosqitoes and even the occasional hurricane. Until only recently, even the western cowboy no longer stirred the imagination the way it once had with the final shootout at Six Gun Territory not just the loss of a small theme park to a giant one, but more the theme itself being played out like an old Colorado mine. It's been a good while since those westerns being cranked out by the dozen were made though, and with True Grit currently in theaters, perhaps a new interest in the American cowboy will emerge. If it does, maybe this time Hollywood will turn an eye toward Florida and the rough and rowdy southern cracker will finally get his crack at 3D TV. Hold on to your Florida cowboy whips folks, 'cause Six Gun Territory may just be fixin' to rise again! (Desoto didn't know when to quit either did he).