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Tampa Bay Downs cuts purses in reaction to boycott

The track is missing out on simulcasts from seven venues.

By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 24, 2002

OLDSMAR -- The last vestiges of the labor strife that tainted the previous two Tampa Bay Downs live meets has affected the current session. On Wednesday, track general manager Peter Berube reacted to a simulcast boycott by horsemen's groups by cutting purses by 10 percent beginning Tuesday.

The move came because seven out-of-state tracks -- including Turfway Park in Kentucky, Turf Paradise in Arizona and the Fair Grounds and Delta Downs in Louisiana -- have been forbidden from beaming their signal to TBD by their local horsemen's benevolent and protective associations.

The groups have enacted their legal hammer in support of Tampa Bay HBPA president Bob Jeffries, who again has been denied stall space at the Oldsmar track this meet.

Berube claims Jeffries did not offer a "proper mix" of horses on his application to deserve stalls, while Jeffries claims discrimination because of his involvement in the previous disputes.

Berube said he feels attaining stalls is Jeffries' only condition for lifting the boycott, but said he would not receive them.

"He can reapply next year," Berube said.

Jeffries did not return phone calls on Wednesday. National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president John Roark was unavailable.

Labor peace apparently had been attained when local horsemen pressured their board into accepting a three-year deal last December, ending a 15-day boycott that crippled the meet. The current snarl continues although six of the 11 members of the current TBHBPA board signed a petition asking their national board to end the boycott.

That doesn't mean Jeffries is without support, even as his crusade begins to cost money for horsemen.

"He's a horseman and he was denied stalls for horses that have run and won at Tampa," said Kathleen McConnell, who is currently sixth in earnings at TBD with $52,024. "It's tough to make a living that way."

Citing a projected $800,000 loss in revenue from the simulcast boycott, Berube announced cuts of $10-12,000 daily from the overnight program, which is the lifeblood of rank-and-file horsemen.

Berube has scheduled a general meeting with horsemen this morning.

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