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November 20, 2008
NEW JERSEY TRACKS GRANTED RACING DATES
ORR.com
Tom LaMarra is reporting in the
Bloodhorse online that The New Jersey Racing
Commission granted 2009 racing dates Nov. 19 for Atlantic City Race Course
and Freehold Raceway, two tracks that have been involved in conflicts tied
to casino-paid purse supplements.
Freehold, owned by Pennwood
Racing, whose partners are Penn National Gaming Inc. and Greenwood Racing,
applied for 192 racing dates next year. NJRC executive director Frank
Zanzuccki said the commission granted all dates requests.
Monmouth and Meadowlands will
hold their customary Thoroughbred meets in the spring, summer, and fall.
Monmouth was awarded 94 dates from May 9-Sept. 27. Meadowlands will race
from Oct. 1-Dec. 5. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which
operates the two tracks, and horsemen have a current deal whereby Monmouth
and Meadowlands combined must offer 141 Thoroughbred dates each year.
Meadowlands will bag its
late-fall harness meet and instead race three more weeks in August.
Atlantic City, as predicted by
a few officials, got the OK to race six days of turf racing in 2009.
Details weren’t immediately available, but the Press of Atlantic
City reported the southern New Jersey track backed away from efforts to
seek part of the casino purse subsidy, and also must begin an improvement
plan for the facility, which opened in 1946.
According to the latest NJRC
annual report, total on-track handle for live racing at Atlantic City went
from $335,350 for four days in 2003 to $731,283 for four programs in 2007.
Average daily handle went from $83,838 to $182,821; average daily
attendance last year was 4,310.
Atlantic City raced six days
(two three-day weeks) in April and May of 2008, and requested three
two-day weeks of racing in April and early May of 2009. The dates are
April 16-17, April 23-24, April 30, and May 1.
The racing commission wanted
the track to offer at least 20 days in 2009, but granted the six requested
days after the track said it couldn’t afford 20 live racing programs
without financial assistance. Atlantic City has indicated it will attempt
to add days as revenue permits.
In return for not seeking
alternative gaming, the two NJSEA tracks along with Freehold will get $90
million for purses through 2010 from the Atlantic City casinos. Atlantic
City Race Course wasn’t part of the agreement.
Pennwood supports Freehold
horsemen getting almost $7 million in subsidies but has balked at signing
the agreement because it put restrictions on the parent companies—not just
Freehold. The purse money for Freehold hasn’t been paid because of the
conflict.
The NJRC is scheduled to meet
Dec. 3 with the Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association of New
Jersey, which called for regulators to take sanctions against Freehold and
delay granting the track 2009 dates. Pennwood officials have said the
company continues to seek other avenues to get the money to horsemen.
The SBOANJ had representatives
on hand at the Nov. 19 meeting. The organization issued a press release
afterward that included comments made by SBOANJ president Tom Luchento to
the racing commission.
“I’m tired of fighting
everybody and going in circles,” Luchento said. “Freehold’s fate is in its
own hands. If they want to race 192 dates with an anemic purse structure
and watch horsemen migrate to other racing jurisdictions, so be it. Based
on what you have done, you might as well give the casino purse supplement
money that we’ve been trying to get for Freehold to the New Jersey
Sports and Exposition Authority for the Meadowlands."
A proposed governor-appointed
committee, when formed, will study long-term funding methods for the four
tracks in the state as well as feasible racing schedules.
________________________
November 16, 2008
RACING, GAMING CLASH IN NJ PURSE DISPUTE
ORR.com
Tom LaMarra is reporting in the
Bloodhorse online that an ugly dispute over purse
supplements for a New Jersey harness track could have long-term
ramifications as officials devise a plan for the future of horse racing in
the Garden State, and it also sheds light on the complications that can
arise when racing and gaming are linked.
The latest fight is over the
almost $7 million Freehold Raceway is to receive from now through 2010
under an agreement that funnels revenue from Atlantic City casinos to
purses at three racetracks in New Jersey. The issue is language in the
agreement forged between the casinos and the New Jersey Sports and
Exposition Authority rather than the purse supplement itself.
Freehold, located in central
New Jersey, is owned by Pennwood Racing, whose partners are Penn National
Gaming Inc. and Greenwood Racing, two Pennsylvania-based companies. PNGI,
which has grown into one of the largest gaming entities in North America,
won’t sign the purse supplement agreement because it keeps the parent
companies—not just Freehold—from pursuing gaming outside of Atlantic City.
Horsemen, represented by the
Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, have seized on
the dispute. They claimed Freehold, which races about 10 months a year,
would be forced to close without assistance for purses, and called on the
New Jersey Racing Commission to take action.
The SBOANJ has threatened to
rescind its approval for Freehold to offer simulcasts. The association has
such rights under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978.
“The racing commission should
withhold approval of 2009 race dates at Freehold for this license-holder
until this matter is settled,” SBOANJ president Tom Luchento said Nov. 13
in his latest statement on the matter. “And if track ownership still
refuses to sign, the track should be sold to other interests who would
sign the purse supplement agreement.”
A four-year casino subsidy deal
that expired in 2007 was based on New Jersey racetracks—primarily the
state-owned, NJSEA operated Meadowlands and Monmouth Park—not pursuing
legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at the tracks. Atlantic
City casinos in turn provided money to racing in exchange for not having
to worry about competition from the state.
Freehold, at the urging of
harness horsemen, was included in the deal. Atlantic City Race Course,
owned by Greenwood, was not.
A different playing field
The three-year deal agreed upon
earlier this year calls for $90 million--$30 million a year—in
supplements. But the language is different, according to Freehold
officials, who say they weren’t involved in devising the wording of the
document.
In a Nov. 11 letter to Joe
Corbo, vice president and general counsel for the Casino Association of
New Jersey, Freehold president and general manager Don Codey Jr. said
there were no “affiliate or parent restrictions” in the previous deal.
Now, PNGI and Greenwood—not just Freehold—can’t pursue gaming anywhere
outside of Atlantic City, but other gaming companies, including those
based in Atlantic City, can do so.
For instance, Harrah’s
Entertainment, which operates in Atlantic City and also owns Harrah’s
Chester Casino & Racetrack in neighboring Pennsylvania, wouldn’t be
restricted from pursuing gaming in New Jersey in the unlikely event it’s
expanded by the state legislature.
“Freehold is willing to be
bound, and that will prevent future gaming to occur at Freehold Raceway
during the next three years, which we believe was one of the goals of the
(purse enhancement agreement),” Codey said in the letter. “Asking for
restrictions beyond that is unreasonable, non-mutual, and unrelated to the
benefits conferred. Most importantly, Freehold has no authority to bind
its joint venture partners.
“Thus, Freehold respectfully
requests that we move through this impasse by agreeing that only Freehold
Raceway will be bound by the PEA.”
Codey suggested the document be
modified to reflect location restrictions—racetracks—rather than entities
that may own them. On Nov. 14, he told The Blood-Horse PNGI has
obligations as a publicly traded company to avoid such restrictions on
potential business activities.
“Who in their right mind would
do it?” Codey said. “Any prudent businessman cannot do this.”
Codey said the casino
association told him the Freehold letter has been circulated to all casino
companies in Atlantic City and, realizing the issue is “time-sensitive,”
would respond as quickly as possible.
“Penn Gaming is more concerned
about its casino investments and properties elsewhere in the United States
than it is about harness racing at Freehold,” Luchento said. “The racing
commission should look seriously at the refusal to sign as an act
detrimental to racing and jeopardizing the current racetrack ownership to
operate Freehold’s license in 2009.”
Racing commission gets
involved
The NJRC will award racing
dates for 2009 at its Nov. 19 meeting. Regulators have summoned SBOANJ
officials to a meeting Dec. 3 to address the Freehold dispute and their
threats to yank approval to offer simulcasts. Pennwood requested the
horsemen delay any action on simulcasts, and the NJRC agreed with the
petition, Codey said.
“We respect the NJRC’s efforts
to bring the involved parties together, but still retain the right to
pursue the options available to us,” Luchento said. “We would still argue
that if Pennwood refuses the purse supplement or is unwilling to match the
amount out of its own resources, the company is not fulfilling its
contractual obligations to the horsemen.”
The SBOANJ in its releases has
said racing at Freehold is in jeopardy without the supplement, and that
purses could drop to $25,000 a day, chasing horsemen out of the state.
Freehold has applied for its customary 192 days of racing in 2009.
Codey acknowledged average
daily purses could drop from $50,000 to $35,000 without the supplement,
but he disputed suggestions the track would close. He noted Pennwood has
continued to overpay purses by 20% in anticipation of Freehold receiving
its supplement: $1.6 million for 2008 and about $2.6 million in 2009 and
2010.
Codey said with harness racing
winding down at tracks in the region, Freehold would continue to attract
interest from horsemen, even with a worst-case scenario. “Would we not get
as many horses in the entry box?” he said. “That’s possible. But 80% of
the horsemen who race at Freehold do not race at The Meadowlands, (which
opens Nov. 21).
“The main issue here is
providing funds to purses for horsemen. We want to get the money to the
horsemen. We’ve tried several avenues and have been turned down, but we’re
still trying to get the horsemen these funds.”
Atlantic City on the
fence
Meanwhile, the future of
Atlantic City Race Course remains unclear. Greenwood has applied for six
racing dates in 2009 even though the New Jersey Racing Commission earlier
this year said it must apply for at least 20.
Greenwood has been seeking a
cut of the casino supplement—about $2.5 million a year—to support an
expanded meet, and enlisted the help of legislators in southern New
Jersey. As of Nov. 14, no deal had been made.
The racing commission will
decide the track’s fate for next year at least at its Nov. 19 meeting.
There have been indications Atlantic City could be granted a meet of some
sort.
Maureen G. Budgon, president of
Atlantic City Racing Association Services, couldn’t be reached to comment
on the status of racing dates or the purse supplement talks. But she
earlier told the Press of Atlantic City the track made a small
profit on its six-day, all-turf meet this past spring and wants to
continue offering live racing and year-round simulcasts.
Greenwood hasn't publicly
commented on the Freehold dispute and where it stands on the restrictions
targeted by PNGI.
Atlantic City, despite its
location only 15 miles from the Jersey casinos, has pulled in crowds of
2,500-5,000 for live racing held late in the afternoon on weekdays in
April and early May. Officials noted that on several days, the track
outdrew Belmont Park in New York and regularly attracted more racing fans
that other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Handle on its races, which
average more than 10 horses, would be much higher if the track exported
its signal; a dispute with the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s
Association scuttled that plan this year, but that could be revisited
should the track race in 2009.
Whether Atlantic City remains
in the New Jersey racing mix and is permitted to grow its business is only
one issue expected to be addressed by a study on the state’s racing
industry. The SBOANJ said the latest casino purse agreement calls for the
study, with recommendations on long-term funding for racing, to be in the
hands of Gov. Jon Corzine by July 15, 2010.
There have been suggestions
from some legislators for VLTs at Meadowlands, but the efforts have gone
nowhere given the power of the casino industry in the state. The study
figures to examine whether the private casino industry should continue to
subsidize horse racing, and whether racing should have its own dedicated
revenue from gaming; how to encourage the building of off-track betting
parlors; and racing dates.
The NJSEA is currently required
to offer 141 Thoroughbred racing dates per year under an agreement with
the New Jersey THA. Those dates go to Monmouth and Meadowlands; any racing
at Atlantic City is considered a bonus.
____________________________
November 8, 2008
NJ PURSE SUBSIDY FIGHTS GETTING UGLY
ORR.com
Tom LaMarra is reporting in the
Bloodhorse online that issues surrounding a $90-million purse subsidy from
Atlantic City casinos continue to plague the New Jersey horseracing
industry.
Still unresolved is whether
Atlantic City Race Course will get a cut of the money to support an
expanded Thoroughbred meet in 2009. Now, Freehold Raceway, a harness
track, is said to be in jeopardy because its parent company won’t accept a
$1.6-million supplement negotiated by other parties.
The Standardbred Breeders and
Owners Association of New Jersey said a Nov. 7 conference call failed to
produce a resolution. The SBOANJ had threatened to yank its authorization
for simulcasts at Freehold Nov. 5, but allowed more time for negotiations.
Freehold is owned by Pennwood
Racing, whose partners are Penn National Gaming Inc. and Greenwood Racing,
two Pennsylvania-based companies. Pennwood isn’t against the Freehold
subsidy but won’t sign off on the agreement because it keeps racetrack
owners from pursuing gaming outside of Atlantic City.
PNGI has expressed interest in
developing a casino in Atlantic City. The Pennwood principals, however,
would be restricted from pursuing gaming elsewhere in the state while
other companies would not in the unlikely event New Jersey were to expand
gambling.
The SBOANJ, in a release, said
Joe Corbo of the New Jersey Casino Association indicated the casinos
probably wouldn’t agree to give Freehold its cut of the subsidy unless
PNGI and Greenwood signed the agreement. SBOANJ legal counsel Joel Sterns
told Freehold officials the track could end up closing should purses not
be supplemented.
“The SBOANJ is prepared to pull
authorization for simulcasting signals at Freehold, and will be notifying
Freehold that its deadline will now be Nov. 13,” SBOANJ president Tom
Luchento said in a statement.
As the official horsemen's
representative for harness racing in New Jersey, the SBOANJ has signal
consent rights under the Interstate Horseracing Act. The organization has
scheduled a horsemen's meeting for Nov. 11 at Freehold.
Pennwood offered to find ways
to get the supplement directly to the horsemen who race at Freehold, but
all parties wouldn't agree. The sticking point is a demand that PNGI and
Greenwood sign the subsidy agreement as written.
Greenwood, operator of
Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack, owns Atlantic City, which this year
offered six all-turf programs but was told by the New Jersey Racing
Commission it must race at least 20 days in 2009. Atlantic City officials
said they are willing to expand the meet but need more than $2 million to
supplement purses.
The purse subsidy--$30 million
a year for three years—goes to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition
Authority, which operates Meadowlands and Monmouth Park. A previous
four-year supplement went to purses at the two NJSEA tracks and Freehold;
Atlantic City wasn’t included. Other tracks can be in the mix if the
affected parties agree.
The particulars of the purse
subsidy deal were negotiated by the Atlantic City casinos and the NJSEA.
Greenwood and PNGI reportedly weren't involved in the negotiations.
There is friction between
Atlantic City and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association,
which wants Thoroughbred racing’s share of the subsidy to support racing
at Monmouth and Meadowlands. The New Jersey Racing Commission will award
racing dates for 2009 at its Nov. 19 meeting; it remains to be seen how it
will rule on a racing schedule for Atlantic City, which said it could
offer six days without a purse supplement.
During its meet this spring,
Atlantic City circulated petitions calling for the track to get part of
the subsidy. The petitions were sent to local legislators, who reportedly
are assisting the track in the subsidy fight so it can maintain live
racing and support the southern New Jersey economy. Atlantic City is open
year-round for simulcasts and operates an off-track betting parlor in
nearby Vineland.
_______________________________
May 8,
2008
Mid-Atlantic sites, NYRA make deal
By MATT HEGARTY, Daily Racing Form
The New York Racing Association and a
cooperative representing tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region have
reached an agreement that will restore the signal from Belmont
Park at the simulcast sites in eight states, effective Friday,
officials for the two sides said Thursday.
NYRA and the MidAtlantic Cooperative
had failed to reach an agreement on the terms over the Belmont
signal since the track opened on April 30. Officials for the
cooperative had said that they would not agree to a price
increase for the signal, a point not disputed by NYRA officials.
Terms of the agreement were not
disclosed, though it is known that NYRA has been seeking some of
the highest rates in the country for the signals from its three
tracks, Belmont, Aqueduct, and Saratoga.
Martin Lieberman, the executive
director of the cooperative, said that the contract was a
"long-term," multiyear deal, but he declined to be more
specific.
"It's a fair agreement," Lieberman
said.
NYRA remains locked in a separate
dispute with a cooperative representing simulcasting sites in
eight Southern and Midwestern states.
The blackout affected the sites
operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority,
Freehold Raceway, and Atlantic City Race Course in New Jersey;
Philadelphia Park, Penn National, and Pocono Downs in
Pennsylvania; Charles Town Races in West Virginia; Delaware
Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway in Delaware; Ocean
Downs and Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland; Colonial Downs in
Virginia; Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts; and Rockingham Park in
New Hampshire.
____________________________
April 23,
2008
No Simulcasts for Atlantic
City
ORR.com
Esther Marr reports on Bloodhorse.com that Atlantic City Race Course,
which opened April 23 for six days of all-turf racing, will not send out
the simulcast signal of its live meet due to a disagreement with the New
Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.
“We were not able to get
the approval of the New Jersey horsemen,” said Maureen Bugdon, president
of the track. “We are thrilled with the horsemen, but we weren’t able to
reach an agreement with the horsemen’s leadership.”
Atlantic City is owned by
Greenwood Racing, the owner of Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack in
Pennsylvania. The New Jersey Racing Commission told Greenwood last year
that Atlantic City would need to run 20 days in 2008 in order to be
granted a racing license, but took back the requirement when the track
asked for dates. The commission has repeated the condition for 2009.
Daily Racing Form
reported that the New Jersey THA had sued the commission over the awarded
race dates, and the group is now waiting for a hearing in the Appellate
Division of New Jersey Superior Court on the issue. According to Dennis
Drazin, president of the horsemen’s group, the hearing could be held
before the end of April.
“We’re disappointed (about not sending out a simulcast signal), however we
have an incredible six-day turf meet,” Bugdon said. “We are very excited
about our fields for the first three days. We have full fields, a lot of
excited horsemen, and enormous support from our fans, and we’re just
thrilled to be here.”
While Atlantic City has
not exported its simulcast signal in recent years, attendance at its brief
meets has averaged more than 5,000 per day, which prompted Greenwood to
request additional race dates. The boutique meets were conducted primarily
to keep the track's year-round simulcasting license.
Atlantic City will card
six races a day, all on turf. The meet is slated for April 23-25 and April
30-May 2. The highlight will be the $50,000, five-furlong Tony Gatto Dream
Big Stakes, the closing-day feature.
“As stated in previous
stories in the last several weeks, we have every intention and it is our
desire to continue live Thoroughbred racing at our site, and expand our
program for longer race meets in the future,” Bugdon said. “We have no
intention to close. We’ve made some very noticeable, modest improvements
for this year, and hope to continue that.”
_____________________________
April 12, 2008
Jersey Governor OKs Purse
Supplements
ORR.com
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine
signed legislation April 11 that allows a $90-million purse supplement for
New Jersey racetracks to move forward.
Tom LaMarra on the
Bloodhorse.com reports that the measure, which awards horse racing $30
million a year for three years from casino revenue, also grants the
Atlantic City casinos a tax break on promotional gaming credits. The
casinos and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates
Monmouth Park and Meadowlands, must produce a signed agreement.
How the $30 million a year
will be divvied up remains to be seen, but it is believed Thoroughbred
interests would get $15 million and Standardbred interests $15 million.
Under a previous four-year supplement deal with the casinos, the money
went to Monmouth and Meadowlands for Thoroughbred meets, and Meadowlands
and Freehold Raceway for harness meets.
The wild card in
negotiations is Atlantic City Race Course, which next year has been
ordered by the New Jersey Racing Commission to offer 20 days of racing.
Atlantic City officials have told
The Blood-Horse
they intend to continue racing after this year but need a portion of the
supplement to offer longer meets.
There is some friction
between Atlantic City and horsemen who want to see the Monmouth meet
bolstered as much as possible.
Atlantic City this year
will race six days, all on the turf, beginning April 23. The track gets
all of its purse revenue from year-round simulcasts and an off-track
betting parlor in Vineland. Last year, Atlantic City paid out more than
$600,000 in purses for a four-day meet.
Earlier this year, before
the casino deal became reality, Freehold Raceway cut purses, and the NJSEA
added money to the purse account at Meadowlands to avoid cuts. The tracks
in the state argue they need the money to supplement purses so they remain
competitive with neighboring states in which purses are subsidized by
gaming revenue.
“We applaud the governor
for signing this bill,” Tom Luchento, president of the Standardbred
Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, said in an April 11
statement. “It is another step in the supplement process that will lead to
the allocation of the funds to racing.”
___________________________
April 12, 2008
New Jersey governor signs bill subsidizing
racing industry
ORR.com
New Jersey Governor Jon
Corzine signed legislation on Friday that will keep video lottery
terminals out of racetracks in the state for three years but provides a
$90-million subsidy for the horse racing industry.
The bill gives Atlantic
City’s casinos a permanent tax deduction on free slots play but requires
them to pay $30-million each year for the next three years to boost purses
for races and subsidize the state’s breeding program, the Newark
Star-Ledger reports. Previously the casinos paid an 8% tax on free slots
games they awarded.
A similar deal signed in
2004 provided $86-million in purse subsidies from the casinos and expired
late last year.
Corzine also signed a measure that expands coverage under the New Jersey
Horse Racing Injury Compensation Board Act to Thoroughbred hot walkers,
grooms, and assistant trainers under certain circumstances.
_________________________________
April
10, 2008
New Jersey Champions
Announced
ORR.com
The Bloodhorse is reporting
that Talkin About
Love, a winner of
five of her seven starts last year, has been named New Jersey-bred Horse
of the Year and champion 3-year-old female for 2007 by the Thoroughbred
Breeders’ Association of New Jersey. Bred, owned, and trained by Kevin
Sleeter, she finished the year with more than $375,000 in earnings,
bringing her lifetime total to $418,183.
Other divisional award
winners are as follows:
Love For Not,
2-year-old female
Owner: Kathleen Willier
Trainer: Kevin Sleeter
Breeder: Golden Dome Stable
Rough Road Ahead,
2-year-old male
Owner: Roseland Farm Stable
Trainer: John Tammaro III
Breeder: John Bowers Jr.
Frank the Barber,
3-year-old male
Owner: Black Diamond Racing and Gary Stute
Trainer: Gary Stute
Breeder: Trident Stables
Pure Disco,
handicap female
Owner/breeder: Patricia Generazio
Trainer: Tony Wilson
Joey P.,
handicap male, sprinter
Owner: John Petrini
Trainer: Ben Perkins Jr.
Teenage Queen,
broodmare
Breeder/owner: John Bowers
Private Interview,
stallion
Stands at: Colonial Farms near Colts Neck, N.J.
__________________________
April 10, 2008
Talkin About Love named New Jersey horse of
the year
NJ Breds.com
Grade 3 winner Talkin
About Love has been named the 2007 New Jersey-bred horse of the year and
champion three-year-old filly.
Kevin Sleeter trains,
owns, and bred Talkin About Love, the winner of the ’07 Monmouth Breeders’
Cup Oaks (G3). The Not For Love filly out of She’s Jane, by Northern Idol,
also finished third in last year’s Fitz Dixon Cotillion Handicap (G2) and
Inside Information Breeders’ Cup Stakes and the 2006 New Jersey Futurity.
Four-year-old Talkin About
Love has won six of 12 starts and earned $418,183.
Grade 3 winner Joey P. was named champion handicap horse and sprinter of
the year after a 2007 campaign that included four stakes wins. A John
Petrini homebred trained by Ben Perkins Jr., the Close Up gelding is out
of Luckey Lipco, by Luckey Jin Beau.
Other New Jersey-bred
champions included:
- Two-year-old
male—Rough Road Ahead
- Two-year-old
female—Love for Not
- Three-year-old
male—Frank the Barber
- Champion handicap
mare—Pure Disco
- Broodmare of
year—Teenage Queen
- Stallion of
year—Private Interview
_________________________
April 2,
2008
Atlantic City: No Plans to
Call it Quits
ORR.com
Tom LaMarra is reporting
on Bloodhorse.com that officials at Atlantic City Race Course said April 2
there are no plans to close the storied New Jersey track, which will
continue to offer live Thoroughbred racing and longer meets if it receives
a share of a $90-million purse supplement from the state’s casinos.
Atlantic City will offer
six days of all-turf racing this year: April 23-25 and April 30-May 2. The
track is open year-round for simulcasts, and as usual will offer full
cards from other tracks during its live programs, which will commence at 3
p.m. EDT each day.
In late March, Dennis
Drazin, president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, told
The Blood-Horse
the 2008 meet at Atlantic City is most likely its last because plans to
redevelop the property with a new, smaller grandstand and Turf Club have
stalled. In addition, it remains up in the air as to whether Atlantic
City, which has been ordered by the New Jersey Racing Commission to offer
at least 20 racing days in 2009, will get any of the casino money for
purses.
Horsemen have indicated
Monmouth Park, Meadowlands, and Freehold Raceway would share in the
$30-million a year pot over the next three years. Atlantic City in recent
years has offered as many dates as it can using revenue from year-round
simulcasts, and also has shifted some purse money to Monmouth. It would
need some supplement money to expand its meet.
“As stated during our
presentation before the New Jersey Racing Commission at its November
meeting, Atlantic City Race Course is thrilled to offer these six days of
all-turf racing, and we are committed to offering live racing in the
future at our track,” Joe Wilson, chief operating officer of Greenwood
Racing, the Pennsylvania-based company that owns Philadelphia Park Casino
& Racetrack and Atlantic City, said in an April 2 statement.
“We, along with the other
three New Jersey racetracks, have expressed an interest in being a part of
the new purse supplement agreement,” Wilson said. “As long as ACRC is a
recipient in this agreement, we are prepared to run an extended racing
season next year. We have indicated to the New Jersey Racing Commission,
the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and the Thoroughbred
horsemen that we are committed to live racing and will run whatever
schedule that best ensures the success of this sport in the state of New
Jersey.
“We will do whatever we
are asked to do, within reason, to help racing in this state.”
Atlantic City president Maureen Bugdon said live racing and year-round
simulcasts benefit the economy of Atlantic County and all of southern New
Jersey. The track, she said, has every intention of staying open.
“Atlantic City Race Course
has no plans to close,” Bugdon said in a statement. “Our 250-plus-acre
site represents the sole (Recreation Commercial zone) in our area, and
serves as a genuine complement to the casino properties in the way of
tourism and entertainment alternatives for visitors. Our meet is
extraordinarily well-received each year, with 10-year attendance records
being set in each of the last three years.
“It is our hope that once
we know what our portion of the purse supplement will be, we will then be
in a position to indicate to the New Jersey Racing Commission and our fans
what our future plans will include, and we’re very excited that this will
mean more live Thoroughbred racing in South Jersey."
Atlantic City, located in
Hamilton Township about 14 miles from Atlantic City’s casinos, was
expected to close in the late 1990s. It continued to offer short live
meets, however, and attendance increased on a daily basis. This year, the
NJRC has ordered the track to again export its signal.
Hal Handel, the former
chief executive officer of Greenwood, had discussed plans by the company
to level the large brick structure and build a European-style grandstand
that would sufficiently accommodate crowds for a boutique meet and
year-round simulcasts. The rest of the property would be used for
non-racing purposes. Handel left Greenwood last summer to take a job with
the New York Racing Association.
Though it no longer holds
regular summer meets, Atlantic City, which for years raced at night,
remains known for its turf course, long considered one of the best in the
country.
Atlantic City also owns an
operates an off-track betting parlor in Vineland in southern New Jersey.
The facility opened last year.
_____________________
March 18,
2008
New Jersey Senate OKs Purse
Subsidy
ORR.com
Tom LaMarra reports in the
Bloodhorse.com that The New Jersey legislature has approved a deal whereby
Atlantic City casinos will pay the horseracing and breeding industry $90
million over three years in return for a guarantee the tracks won’t pursue
video lottery terminals during the period.
The state Senate voted
38-1 March 17 in favor of the measure, which also provides the casinos tax
breaks on bets made for promotional purposes. On March 13, the state
Assembly approved it by a 76-0 vote. Gov. Jon Corzine has said he will
sign the legislation into law.
Still remaining are
negotiations on how the $30 million a year will be spent by the
Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries in New Jersey. From 2004-07,
Thoroughbred and harness interests received a total of $84 million from
casinos in the form of a purse subsidy.
Earlier this year,
Freehold Raceway, a harness track, cut purses, and Meadowlands, which
currently offers harness racing, was expected to do the same. The New
Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates Meadowlands and
Monmouth Park, advanced some purse money to maintain daily payouts.
Freehold has increased
purses 7%, and could hike them again in a few weeks, according to the
Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey.
“We will be sitting down
with Sen. (Richard) Codey and Dennis Dowd of the New Jersey Sports and
Exposition Authority to work on distribution of the funds, which will be
split between the Standardbred and Thoroughbred industries,” SBOANJ
president Tom Luchento said in a statement.
New Jersey’s live
Thoroughbred season begins with six days of turf racing at Atlantic City
Race Course April 23-25 and April 30-May 2. Last year, for four days of
racing, Atlantic City paid an average of $153,585 per day in purses,
according to The Jockey Club Information Systems.
The southern New Jersey
track generates purse money through year-round full-card simulcasts, and
in the past has transferred some purse money Monmouth. State regulators
have told the track it must offer at least 20 days of racing in 2009, so
it’s possible Atlantic City could share in the purse subsidy next year.
Monmouth, during its
regular non-Breeders’ Cup meet in 2007, paid $366,774 per day in purses
over 75 racing days. Meadowlands offered $292,735 in purses per day for
its 41-day Thoroughbred meet last fall.
The casino subsidy is
designed to keep purses competitive with those in neighboring states
offered by racetracks with alternative gaming. Without it, there was talk
Monmouth purses would drop to a daily average of about $200,000.
_______________________________
March
12, 2008
Plan Floated for Jersey
Training Center
ORR.com
Linda Dougherty of the
Bloodhorse.com is reporting that a proposal to use 80 acres from the
soon-to-be-shuttered Fort Monmouth property in Oceanport, N.J., for a
training and winter stabling facility has been made by Dennis Drazin,
president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, to
borough officials.
The borough of Oceanport,
where Monmouth Park is located, stands to acquire 419 acres of Fort
Monmouth—scheduled to be closed by 2011—and does not want to use the
entire amount for housing. The site is very close to Monmouth and
convenient to other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region.
“We’ve been saying we need
winter stabling for a long time,” Drazin said. “There has always been a
question of how that could be accomplished. Should we winterize Monmouth
Park? Or would Philadelphia Park (in Pennsylvania) be willing to build
additional barns for New Jersey horsemen? A training facility at Fort
Monmouth would answer those questions.”
Drazin said he approached
Oceanport councilman Gerald “Jay” Briscione about the project, and that
Briscione was very supportive.
“This has picked up some
steam, and it may be a real possibility,” Drazin said. “The borough is
moving forward with it, and we’ve been in touch with attorneys and
politicians. We’ll need the support of the (Gov. Jon) Corzine
administration, but he has stated that in return for not pursuing video
lottery terminals at state racetracks, he would help the racing industry
in other ways. There has been no official word yet whether he supports
this project.”
Drazin said a conservative
estimate for completion of the training facility, once approved, would be
three to five years.
“The need for this has
come about because of the increased competition from other states,”
Briscione said. “There is no place for New Jersey horsemen to go after
Monmouth Park closes for the season. It would also maintain jobs for a
longer period.
“Right now, horses are at
Monmouth Park from mid-April to mid-November. This would put them there
from January to December, and the Thoroughbred industry would be part of
the local economy for a longer period of time.”
While supportive of the
plan, Briscione called its chances a “longshot.” The government may
believe the value of the land is too high to support such a project, he
said.
“We would want it, but
from an economic perspective, is that what the government would want
there?” Briscione said.
________________________________
March 04, 2008
New Jersey subsidy agreement reached
ORR.com
Tom De Martini is
reporting in The Thoroughbred Times that purses for Monmouth Park’s 2008
meeting most likely will stay at or just above last year’s $330,000 per
day average following the announcement of a tentative agreement between
Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to subsidize the
state’s racing industry.
Corzine announced the
three-year, $90-million subsidy deal late Monday. The $30-million per year
fund infusion will be split between Thoroughbred and Standardbred
horsemen.
The pact is similar to the
three-year subsidy that expired on December 31, 2007, and prohibits the
New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority from installing video lottery
terminals at either Monmouth Park or Meadowlands Racetracks for its
duration.
New Jersey tracks continue
to fight against competition from Pennsylvania racinos, including
Philadelphia Park and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, which
are enjoying purse infusions from slot machine funds.
Philadelphia Park’s purse
structure is expected to increase to more than $200,000 per day with Penn
National reaching $180,000 by the end of the year.
Robert Kulina, vice
president and general manager of racing at Monmouth Park said the sports
authority is not ready to formally announce purse structures for the
99-date Monmouth Park meeting and the 42-date Meadowlands meeting.
“The Monmouth meet is our
premier meet and we’re going to come with a purse structure that’s as
competitive in the region as possible,” Kulina said. “The purses at
Monmouth have always been higher than those at the Meadowlands. Our plan
is to keep purses at last year’s level or become creative and make them a
little better.”
Kulina said several issues
still are being negotiated in the subsidy agreement, including whether
funds will be funneled to the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New
Jersey.
The state’s breeders were
forced to borrow money from the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s
Association earlier this year in order pay ’07 breeders’ awards in full.
NJTHA President Dennis
Drazin earlier this year said that horsemen would like to see a purse
structure approaching $400,000 per day during the peak summer months of
the Monmouth Park meeting, even if it lowers purses at the Meadowlands.
Drazin was not immediately
available for comment on the subsidy deal.
Kulina said Monmouth’s stable area will open April 14 with training
scheduled to commence on April 16 should weather permit.
Last month, the sports
authority announced a $4-million Monmouth Park graded stakes schedule,
highlighted by the $1-million Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) on August
3.
In a related matter, the
state’s Assembly, Tourism and Gaming Committee approved three different
measures on Monday aimed at avoiding the shutdown of casinos and
racetracks.
Two of the measures are
bills and another is a constitutional amendment designed to keep
racetracks and casinos operating in the event of a state government
shutdown.
New Jersey’s racetracks
and casinos were shut down for three days in July, 2006 when state
government operations stopped due to the lack of an ’06-’07 fiscal year
budget pact.
_____________________________
February 21, 2008
Monmouth Announces Stakes
Schedule
ORR.com
The Bloodhorse is reporting that the Monmouth Park Stakes Schedule will be
headlined by the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on Aug. 3,
Monmouth Park will offer $3.85 million in graded stakes for the 2008
racing season, which runs from May 9 through Sept. 28.
The biggest change to the
2008 schedule is the date switch for the Salvator Mile (gr. III), which
will boast a purse of $300,000, double that of last year, and will be
contested July 5 along with the $750,000 United Nations (gr. I). Both
races will kick off this year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge, Win and You’re In
series.
“We are proud to offer
such a lucrative stakes schedule,” said Dennis Dowd, senior vice president
of racing for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which owns and
operates Monmouth Park. “Monmouth’s stakes races have always attracted the
top horses in all divisions and we look forward to presenting racing fans
in New Jersey with talent-filled, competitive fields this summer.”
If including the $150,000
Long Branch, a non-graded stakes that is Monmouth’s traditional prep for
the Haskell, the stakes schedule hits $4 million.
Other highlights of the
2008 racing season includes the $300,000 Iselin Stakes (gr. III) on Aug.
16, and the $300,000 Molly Pitcher (gr. II) on Aug. 24.
______________________________
New Jersey Racing Commission Approves 2008 Dates
Atlantic City Race
Course
April 23, 24, 25, 30, May 1 & 2 6 Dates
Monmouth Park
May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31
June 1 through September 28 99 Dates
Dark: Mondays & Tuesdays
Meadowlands
Racetrack
September 9, 16, 23, 30
October 1 through November 15
Dark: Sundays during in October
Sundays and Wednesdays during November
42 Dates
Total Thoroughbred Dates 147 Dates
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