It is one of those rarest of years at the Kentucky Derby, one in which it is possible to draw a straight-line Atlanta connection to the first Saturday in May.
Georgia, after all, normally has about as much skin in the horse trade as Idaho does in haute couture.
Lest there be a question about the local rooting interest, billboards identifying Mucho Macho Man as “Your Hometown Horse” popped up last week at multiple locations throughout Fulton and Cobb counties.
Suwanee’s Dean and Patti Reeves hold majority ownership of this Derby hopeful, winner of February’s Risen Star Stakes and $370,000 in graded earnings. Smyrna’s Kostas Hatzikoutelis was a partner in the syndicate that originally bought Mucho Macho Man and still maintains a minority stake in the horse.
As the billboards attest, the ownership is attempting to foster a relationship between a thoroughbred and an area that has had little use for the breed. By doing that, Team Mucho Macho Man also hopes to serve as example and advocate in the effort to bring horse racing to Georgia.
That campaign has been a non-starter for decades, dying at the embryonic stage each time the subject has been raised.
This year, supporters considered it a victory when the latest push survived the last session of the General Assembly.
“No question about it, there is [cynicism about ever getting racing here],” said Ed Gadrix, the Roswell attorney who heads a group called the Georgia Equine Education Project. “We have trouble getting people to take us seriously.” But, Gadrix said, an April 14 vote by the Georgia House to study the matter lent the push new momentum. “We almost cried. That was huge,” he said.
The study committee is expected to have its report by the end of the year.
There are multiple tests ahead for the initiative, which would have to be approved by the Legislature, Georgia voters and voters in the counties where track or off-track betting facilities would be located.
Past efforts to bring horse racing to Georgia encountered strong opposition from those who do not want to expand the reach of legalized gambling.
“We would oppose it — we do and have opposed it strongly,” said Jerry Luquire, president of the Georgia Christian Coalition.
“I don’t think there will be any movement on it next year because it’s an election year. I believe two years from now is the best bet. We’re watching it closely because it’s just another extension of gambling,” Luquire said.
Supporters of racing say that, between breeding and racing operations, the industry could create at least 10,000 new jobs in Georgia, while providing the state with another source of badly needed revenue.
Other factors that could boost the current push for racing, they say, are the changing demographics here — more people moving in from areas familiar with the sport — as well as more permissive views on gambling since the inception of a state lottery nearly 20 years ago.
Rep. Harry Geisinger, the Roswell Republican pushing the initiative, argues that horse racing is a better bet than the lottery.
“You’re not going to stop people from gambling if that’s what your objection is,” he said. “And unfortunately, the lottery is the worst kind of gambling you can have because it takes no talent. It’s not entertaining unless you win. It’s just a hope and a prayer. That’s not what horse racing is. And there’s an ambience the whole time you’re [at the track].”
He likens the effort to bring horse racing here to that of allowing Sunday liquor sales in Georgia.
“It’s a matter of letting people vote; the process is basically the same,” Geisinger said. “People vote on [Sunday liquor sales], and if they say yes, OK, they can get it in their community. If they say no, they won’t get it. Same with horse racing.”
Since he began dabbling in the horse racing business four years ago, Reeves was struck by what he saw as missed opportunities in his home state. With his newfound success in the sport, should he decide to distance himself further from his construction business in favor of his passion for racing, Reeves is faced with the prospect of moving to central Florida horse country.
“The Legislature needs to figure out that they are really missing the boat here,” he said. “I ship my horses from New York to Florida and drive right by my front door. We buy horses in Kentucky. We’re spending money in Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, New York. All around Georgia, they could create jobs, create income and revenue for the HOPE scholarship.”
Last week, the Reeves-es left home for Kentucky, one of 32 states with thoroughbred racing. They take with them every owner’s dream of standing in the winner’s circle, posing with a lathered horse blanketed in roses.
They don’t mind at all sharing that vision with their hometown. In fact, they are inviting everyone to go along for the ride.
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