Horses Not Evicted From Calder Just Yet

Calder Casino & Race Course reportedly is considering an extension of its Jan. 1 eviction deadline for the approximately 300 horses that remain stabled in a recently fenced-in area of its barn area.

Churchill Downs Inc., Calder's parent company, has designated that area for the start of commercial redevelopment for which it has not released any details. The morning of Jan. 1 trainers were hearing conflicting reports as to whether a possible extension would be for several days or until the end of March.

As of 9:30 a.m. EST, Calder had not followed through with a plan to cut off electrical power and water to barns in the fenced-in area.

The possibility of a deadline extension was raised Dec. 31, Phil Combest, president of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said late that afternoon. He pointed out that some trainers with horses behind the fence have no place else to take them.

"We're not leaving," he said. "What happens is up to Churchill Downs."

There were about 700 horses in the area in early December, when Calder began putting up the fence. The drop to about 300 is partly from owners selling horses that were then moved to other states and from owners moving horses to training centers in South Florida.

Gulfstream Park has moved about 170 horses to temporary stalls in a parking lot it has leased at Calder, Combest said.

The Stronach Group, Gulfstream's parent company, in December reportedly offered to pay CDI $900,000 to lease the 10 barns in the fenced-in area through March 31, 2015. By then, numerous trainers who spend winters in South Florida will have sent their horses back to northern states, and stalls will become available at Gulfstream and its Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach. They are now filled to their combined 2,600-stall capacity.

As part of a July 1, 2014 agreement on racing dates, Gulfstream leased 430 stalls at Calder for six years. Those stalls are not part of the fenced-in area. In the deal, Calder agreed to keep the remainder of its stalls available for horses through Dec. 31, 2014.

Late in 2014 Gulfstream officials told the Florida HBPA Calder had indicated it would keep those stalls available at least until the spring of 2015. Instead, Calder began putting up the fence Dec.1, which created fear among trainers with horses stabled inside the fence and set the stage for still another Calder-Gulfstream showdown.