Minutes
Ohio HBPA Board Meeting
11:00 am, Friday, August 16th, 2024
Ohio HBPA Main Office, Grove City, OH
Members Present: President Joe Poole Directors: Nancy Adams, Susan Anderson, Linda Carrera, Bobby Cline, Mark Doering, Jeff Jarvis, Bruce Miller, Brian Poe, Mike Rone, George Sikora, Kristi Tumblin
Others Present:
Executive Director Dave Basler, Tom Pappas and Associates Lobbyist Kyle Miller
Call to Order/ Approval of Minutes:
President Poole called the meeting to order. After review President Poole moved and Director Miller seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the July 15, 2024 Ohio HBPA board of directors meeting. Motion passed.
Director Poe moved and Director Cline seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the August 5, 2024 Ohio HBPA board of directors conference call. Motion passed.
Special Order of Business:
Lobbyist Kyle Miller provided an update on the fall meeting schedules planned for the Ohio House and Senate.
President’s Report
President Poole led a discussion regarding the extension of the executive director’s contract. President Poole moved and Director Miller seconded a motion that the Ohio HBPA offer the executive director a 2-year contract extension from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026. Motion passed.
Poole informed the board that the executive director had received a request from the OTBO for funding for their upcoming online sale several days after the agenda for this meeting had been sent out to the board members stating that due to the timing of the request he did not intend to take up the matter at this meeting.
Poole led an extensive discussion regarding misinformation being distributed by people in other jurisdictions regarding Strangles at Thistledown. Director Doeing moved and Director Carrera seconded a motion that the executive director write a letter to be made available to regulators regarding Strangles testing procedures and results and the lack of any Strangles positives at Thistledown in 2024. Motion passed.
Poole and Director Adams led an extensive discussion about horse aftercare programs in Ohio and the Ohio HBPA’s support of such programs.
Executive Director’s Report:
The executive director provided a copy of the HISA stand-still agreement which had been authorized by the board at it’s July meeting and subsequently negotiated by Basler and signed by both parties.
Basler and President Poole updated the board on the National HBPA Summer Conference which they had attended in Iowa in July discussing the reelection of National HBPA President Dr. Doug Daniels as well as the various HISA lawsuits.
Basler updated the board regarding the Ohio HBPA board of directors election stating that the new election packets had been completed and reviewed by staff and were being mailed out that day (August 16th) with a new election date of Friday, September 27th as approved by the board on the August 5th conference call.
Basler updated the board on the filing of the Belterra track kitchen lawsuit.
Following discussion regarding an upcoming meeting between the OTBO and a group of breeders who are putting on the Buckeye Classic Thoroughbred Sale this October Director Sikora moved and Director Miller seconded a motion that the executive director draft a letter stating that the reason the Ohio HBPA was no longer funding the OTBO was due to the discord between the OTBO and a large number of the state’s breeders. Motion failed with Directors Doering, Miller and Sikora voting yes and Director Jarvis abstaining.
New Business:
Purses and Wagering
Handouts were provided to the board showing VLT results for all three thoroughbred tracks in Ohio for July 2024 as well as previous VLT results for comparison purposes. Belterra Park showed a net win of $7,200,558 in July 2024 down over $240,000 from the $7,447,585 net win in July 2023 at the track. Thistledown had a net VLT win of $14,238,310 in July which was down nearly $1.8 million from the prior July net win figure of $16,018,020 and marked the seventh straight month of year over year declines in VLT net win at the track. Mahoning Valley had a net VLT win of $14,476,502 in July 2024 up over $700,000 from the $13,755,099 net win at Mahoning Valley in July 2023.
President Poole moved and Director Poe seconded a motion to enter executive session.
Lengthy discussion of the upcoming Mahoning Valley race meet set to begin in October which included an extensive review of the current contract between the parties which expires in September.
The board came out of executive session.
Director Doering moved and Director Carrera seconded a motion that the executive director be authorized to enter contract negotiations with Penn National on a contract extension for Mahoning Valley Race Course with a minimum term of four years. Motion passed.
Budget and Finance
The executive director led a discussion regarding a water study being conducted by the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance and scientists at the US Geological Society to test the water supply in barn areas at US thoroughbred tracks to determine what contaminations and threats exist in those water supplies. Director Doering moved and Director Rone seconded a motion that a contribution of $2,850 ($950 per track) be made to the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance Inc. from the Industry Initiative Fund to have the water supplies at all three Ohio thoroughbred tracks tested. Motion passed.
Discussion was held regarding the next board meeting date with the board setting October 14, 2024 as the next meeting date
Adjournment:
Director Doering moved and Director Poe seconded a motion to adjourn. Motion passed.