Vaccarezzas Stand Firm, Despite Stronach Denial Of Retaliation

[Wandering Eyes]

Earlier this week, Carlo Vaccarezza reported to the BloodHorse that his trainer son, Nick, had been denied stalls at Gulfstream Park for horses owned by his father.

Additionally, Carlo Vaccarreza claimed that despite taking steps to remove his name from the stable's limited liability ownership company–effectively shifting ownership of the horses to his son, Michael–track officials told Nick Vaccarezza that they would deny his entries.

Carlo Vaccarezza described the action as an act of retaliation for his involvement in the contentious fight to stop the track's owners from decoupling its racing and casino licenses–a fight many industry stakeholders see as a matter of existential import for the future of horse racing in the state.

As part of his efforts to stymie decoupling, Carlo Vaccarezza hired the influential Florida-based firm GrayRobinson, which helped lobby lawmakers on behalf of the newly-formed Thoroughbred Racing Initiative.

On Wednesday, I/ST Racing and Gaming's vice president of communications, Tiffani Steer, issued a statement denying wrongdoing by the company, placing the blame instead on Nick Vaccarezza for not submitting his stall application on time.

“The deadline for stall applications for the 2025/2026 Gulfstream Park Winter Meet expired on Sunday, September 28th. No application from Nick Vaccarezza was ever received. Last year, well before decoupling legislation was introduced, the application from Carlo Vaccarezza was denied based on the historical lack of starts and too few horses compared to stalls requested since 2021,” wrote Steer. 1/ST Racing and Gaming is the horseracing arm of TSG.

“Additionally, Nick has never been told by anyone from 1/ST RACING that has [sic] his entries will be refused. Entries are considered on a case-by-case basis. To link this to the ongoing decoupling conversation is entirely false,” Steer wrote.

Reached subsequently on Wednesday, Nick Vaccarezza said he submitted his application via text on August 28, well within the application window. He furnished the TDN with a screengrab of his text exchange with Steve Screnci, 1/ST Racing and Gaming's president of racing and business development.

According to this text exchange, Screnci replied to Nick Vaccarezza's Aug. 28 stall application with a link to a GoFundMe that Carlo Vaccarezza had set up, asking for donations for the fight against decoupling.

“Hey there! We're gearing up for another session in Tallahassee to protect Florida racing and the livelihoods of our horsemen and agriculture community. Your support means the world to us, and even a small donation can make a huge difference in our fight. Please consider clicking the link below to donate or share it with others who might help–thank you!” reads the text of the link that Screnci apparently used in response to Nick Vaccarezza's stall application, according to the screengrab sent by the trainer.

Carlo Vaccarezza | Coglianese

Carlo Vaccarezza also provided the TDN with other text exchanges with a Florida industry stakeholder, who he said acted as an intermediary in the situation. Carlo requested this person's name be omitted the story, due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

According to these text exchanges, the industry stakeholder responds to the matter of Gulfstream Park refusing to take Nick Vaccarezza's entries by suggesting that he “let it go and try again next year.”

When asked about the stall application that Nick Vaccarezza appeared to have submitted on August 28, Steer wrote that “No application was submitted to either Gulfstream Park or Palm Meadows.”

Nick Vaccarezza, 25, took over training from his father earlier this year. He's currently stabled at Ellis Park with about 15 horses.

The ongoing battle over decoupling has been a contentiously fought affair between TSG and breeders, owners, trainers and other stakeholders in the state.

Back in 2024, the former Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's group initially agreed to support 1/ST racing's decoupling efforts, though the decision was reportedly heavily influenced by trainers' workers' compensation concerns.

Sources explained to the TDN back in January that the insurance carrier for dozens of trainers at Gulfstream Park last year refused to continue coverage if that included exercise riders. Last September, Gulfstream Park picked up coverage of the track's exercise riders under a general liability policy, these sources explained.

After a highly inflammatory meeting in January with industry stakeholders, in which TSG consultant Keith Brackpool warned “if there's no decoupling, then there's no guarantee of when we will continue to race” (among other threats), the group switched its stance in the battle.

This owners' and trainers' group subsequently rejoined the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, forming the Florida chapter.

During the last state legislative session in Tallahassee, decoupling was eventually thwarted in the Senate. The state legislature is cranking up for a new session, during which decoupling is expected to be once again hotly debated. The fight over decoupling has also entered other legal channels.

In August, TSG filed a lawsuit against the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC), alleging the 2021 statute that allowed all classes of pari-mutuel licensees except Thoroughbreds to “decouple” from live racing as a condition of operating slot machines is an “unconstitutional special law and violates the equal protection clause of the Florida Constitution.”

When asked, Carlo Vaccarezza said he has not yet sought counsel about the possible legal implications from Gulfstream's alleged actions. Interestingly, the decision doesn't appear to have been based on any regulatory concerns, as neither Carlo nor Nick Vaccarrezza have a checkered regulatory history as trainers.

According to Thoroughbred Rulings, Carlo Vaccarezza was issued six minor regulatory penalties over the course of an 11-year training career, two of them for controlled medication overages and four for minor infractions. The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) also issued him a $3000 fine for a joint injection within seven days of a timed-workout.

HIWU has issued Nick Vaccarezza a written reprimand for an Omeprazole (Gastrogard) overage.

“What happens if I had to run a horse in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita?” Nick Vaccarezza explained, about the possible implications to his career. “What if I had to run in the Florida Derby? I told them I'm bringing a horse that I could run in the Pegasus Turf.”

More broadly, said Nick Vaccarezza, he sees his stance as a matter of principle. “If you and I are both trainers, and I say something and I'm not allowed in,” he said, “you'd be inclined not to stand up against them.”

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