Idaho Racing and Simulcast Bills Clear Legislative Hurdles

AQHA - April 7, 2011 - Two Idaho bills related to simulcasting and race dates have cleared the Senate and House, and are now being considered by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, who is expected will sign them.

HB 191 would allow Idaho’s live tracks to transfer their simulcast licenses to different facilities. Currently, the tracks must simulcast at their locations, but some of the facilities are not conducive to comfort. The bill would allow them to move to more agreeable locations, either within the county or, if a suitable location isn’t available, to a different county.

“The tracks at these little fair meets don’t have anything but cement block buildings, so they’ll be able to move them off track to a nice spot,” National Director Emeritus Col. Earl Lilley said.

The bill cleared the Senate floor by a vote of 26-9.

“Col. Earl Lilley has been working on this thing probably close to 20 years, trying to get it introduced in a real conservative state,” said Clayton Russell, the president of the Idaho Quarter Horse Association – Racing Division and a member of the Idaho Horseman’s Association board of directors. “It’s been tough. I was overwhelmed at how well it passed in the senate.

“It’s early yet to know how much money it will generate, but there are provisions for a minimum amount to go to purses, and that’s for the horsemen to negotiate up from there to whatever the site can do,” Russell said. “There are also provisions in there to get a little money back to the small county fairs to help with their facilities. There’s some money, if it reaches a certain plateau, allocated to go back to the horse board to help fund youth horse activities. It’s a win-win for everyone. We think it will be huge for horsemen in Idaho at these racetracks. The purses are low, it’s been hard to generate any money. By being able to move these sites around, we think it may be substantial.”

The second bill, SB 1133, cleared the House floor by a vote of 56- 14. It clarifies the requirements for live race dates and would allow horsemen’s groups to negotiate dates at Les Bois Park.

Senators reported receiving a large volume of calls in favor of the bills from horsemen and citizens supporting horse racing.

“One comment we had from all the legislators – they had hundreds of calls and letters, not only from horsemen but from the general public that wanted to see horse racing improve in the state,” said Russell.