Page 83 - October 2015

Rob Werstler visits with a small group after a meeting held at the Heritage Place Yearling Sale to discuss the future of racing in Texas.
That left TRC with no funds to continue operating after August 31, which would force all live and simulcast racing to cease in Texas. Racing shut down September 1 – for 24 hours.
“Hundreds of letters and emails,
and a social media effort, persuaded the Lieutenant Governor to allow the Texas Racing Commission to use other funds to continue operating,” Werstler said. “We have been told that the Lieutenant Governor (Dan Patrick) did not expect the TRC to vote not to repeal HRT rules and he also
did not think the horse industry would put pressure on the Legislative Budget Board the way we did.”
The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) passed a short-term measure that funds TRC through the American Quarter Horse meet at Lone Star Park.
One of the members of the LBB is Speaker of the House Joe Straus, who recused himself from LBB discussions and voting because his family owns Retama Park.
“Speaker Straus (R-San Antonio) has done a great job working with members of both parties,” Werstler said. “The Tea Party does not like him and wants to replace him. Now the Lieutenant Governor is pressuring Gov. (Greg) Abbott to replace three commissioners whose terms are up with people who will vote to repeal HRT rules. The governor is not taking the bait, so far.”
The pressure, especially from the Tea Party wing in a state as conservative as Texas, can be overwhelming.
“During the 2013 legislative session, Sen. John Corona, a tenured Republican sena-
tor from Dallas, came with a wide-ranging gambling bill that would have allowed casinos at racetracks and would have put – as I recall – three more in large cities in Texas,” Werstler said. “He held a hearing and said the way casinos are situated around Texas looks like ticks on a dog. Corona showed a video
of Thackerville, Oklahoma, and there was nothing around there – except the WinStar casino. He said this is the home to the largest casino in the world, sitting right on the Texas border. Corona went on to state that Texas is losing millions of dollars in tax revenue from Texans going over and playing in our sur- rounding states.
“So, the Tea Party came after him and he lost reelection.”
That’s the reality of politics. And, like it or not, politics is the game horsemen have to play.
“Let’s face it: Nobody who isn’t directly affected by the racing industry most likely does not care about saving Texas racing,” Werstler said. “What’s our message? Why do we need saving? Well, because the LBB won’t fund
the Texas Racing Commission. Hold on: You expect Joe Public to understand that? Our message has to be about hard-working Texans who are overlooked by a legislature that, at this point, really doesn’t care. We are put in a bad spot by these legislators who are trying to bring all sorts of different industries into Texas, but
are not trying to protect one of the oldest with the strongest heritage. Let’s change our message to save Texas horses or save our Texas heritage, something that people outside our industry can relate to.”
State estimates are that the Texas horse industry contributes $5.5 billion to the Texas economy industry and creates 36,000 jobs.
“We are raising funds to hire a public rela- tions firm to keep our message out in front
of the public,” Werstler said. “Texas A&M
is doing an economic impact study, which
is incredibly important to us at this point. What horsemen and people in the industry need to do right now is contact the LBB to keep pressure on the Lieutenant Governor and the LBB right now. We have to do everything in our power to make sure the Texas Racing Commission gets funded.
“Now, let’s say we do that and the commis- sion gets funded – which I fully expect them to do. The money was appropriated and passed by the entire legislature. But, what happens when the commission does get funded? We’re back to Square One, basically. We’re an industry dying on the vine, and we’re getting no help from the legislature. We have been told by legislators
to bring them a bill that isn’t an expansion of gambling, but will still help horse racing. So far, that hasn’t worked. But, attacking those legislators isn’t going to work, either. If we’re going to get anything passed, we are going to have to work with them.”
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