Ocala Raises the Thoroughbreds. John Morgan and the Breeders Say They Now Have 300 Acres to Race Them Here

Philip Levine's case for a horse track in Ocala started with a bank robber. Rising from the audience at a racing symposium in Tucson last December, the former Miami Beach mayor retold the old story of John Dillinger explaining that he robbed banks because that is where the money is. "So when you say, why have a horse track in Ocala?" Levine said, according to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association's account. "That's where the Thoroughbreds are."

Ten months later, the plan has ground under it. On Oct. 28, 2026, the FTBOA and Gilligan Racing LLC, its exclusive racetrack development partner, announced that they have secured control of more than 300 acres in Marion County for a new Thoroughbred racetrack. "We have the land, we have Florida's sole remaining Thoroughbred racing permit, we have the equine industry and we have an incredible community," said John Morgan, the Morgan & Morgan founder and a Gilligan Racing partner. The groups say they expect to announce the exact location "in the near future."

A permit held in reserve

The project rests on a permit the breeders have held for 15 years. The FTBOA acquired it in 2011 as a nonprofit racing permit and converted it to Thoroughbred racing soon after Lonny Powell arrived at the association, and its account of the Tucson talk says the permit "has been held in reserve for this scenario." Because it is nonprofit, Powell said, "it's geared to build breeders' awards, purses, equine research" and is "not for somebody that wants to flip it into real estate." Today it belongs to Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, a subsidiary wholly owned by the FTBOA.

The backdrop was farther south. That same FTBOA account said Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs had both signaled they intend to leave live racing, and described the regulatory outlook as stark.

From a Tucson announcement to 300 acres

Powell broke the news of the partnership at that symposium. "This is the first time this is being said in public," he told the room, announcing a multi-year exclusive agreement with a Delaware company formed by Levine and Morgan. "Three guys sat down at the table and said, 'How can we move this thing forward?'"

By this past August, the name on the announcements was Gilligan Racing, and neither its statements nor the October release mention Levine or the Delaware company, or say how the two are related. In an Aug. 19 statement, Gilligan Racing said it held an exclusive agreement with Ocala Thoroughbred Racing, was weighing several Marion County sites and was working with Thoroughbred owner and track developer Ron Winchell and with Marc Falcone. "When very few people believed a new racetrack could or should be built in Marion County, we did," Morgan said. Ten weeks later, the search had become a site.

What they say they want to build

The preliminary plans call for dirt and turf courses, a modern grandstand and hospitality facilities, plus dining, entertainment and event venues meant to stay busy year-round, on a property the release says was chosen for its size, topography and accessibility. Winchell, who co-owns Kentucky Downs, points to that track's formula: "a great racing product, competitive purses and an exceptional guest experience."

The people raising the horses are making the local argument. "Marion County already has the horses, the farms, the expertise and the international reputation," said Richard Heysek, the FTBOA's newly elected president, who breeds and races with his wife, Cathy, as Caperlane Farm in Reddick. George Isaacs, president of Ocala Thoroughbred Racing and general manager of Bridlewood Farm, set the bar higher: "Our driving goal should be what great looks like, and we should accept nothing short of that."

What happens next

All of this is still early planning, and every word of it so far comes from the project's backers. Next comes the part that involves everyone else: Gilligan Racing, working for Ocala Thoroughbred Racing and alongside the FTBOA, says it will work with Marion County, the state and regulators on approvals, infrastructure and partnerships. It also made a promise neighbors can hold it to. In August, it said the project "is not intended to arrive in Marion County as a finished plan presented to the community," and that it wants input from local and state leaders on the vision, the location and the development.

The location is the next big reveal, followed by the details that will shape how Marion County feels about it. The groups have not yet released a cost, a construction schedule, an opening date or a racing calendar, and say details on plans, partners and timeline will come as planning progresses. We will update this story when they do.

For the world this track would join, see our guides to Ocala horse country and Ocala horse farms, our report on the October 2026 yearling sale, and the World Equestrian Center and Florida Horse Park.

Sources: FTBOA press release, "Major Milestone for Florida Thoroughbred Racing: FTBOA and Gilligan Racing Secure Ocala Racetrack Site" (ftboa.com, Oct. 28, 2026); FTBOA, "Gilligan Racing Moves Forward With Plans for New Thoroughbred Racetrack in Marion County" (Aug. 19, 2026); FTBOA, "Partnership to Study Ocala Racetrack Announced at Arizona Symposium" (December 2025). All three were re-read Nov. 1, 2026, when the FTBOA's site showed no newer racetrack announcement. The FTBOA is a party to the project, so its statements are the association's own account. AI tools helped gather the sources and draft this page; each fact was checked against those sources before publishing.