Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

PW Herman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:59:44 GMT

Today the NJTHA will vote YES to running a shortened schedule of 71 days. The first 50 days at a $1,000,000 a day purse structure.

The Monmouth Park racing community then will be dependent on the VP of Racing, "Burnt Out" Bob Kulina, to market this meet so it does not become a complete financial disaster. Bob- please retire.

We need someone who has fresh ideas to run Monmouth Park.

Take your state-funded pension and leave...hopefully soon.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Thor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:53:16 GMT

The boutique meet would put most of the NJ Horsepeople out of business. What would the bottom level of competition be? What about J-Bred allowance or even maiden claiming. I echo Tom's point from an earlier post. We have to pay for stalls in the winter, ship to run and now pray that our horses do not have any injuries or sickness during the Monmouth meet. The days of the Hard knocking nickel J-breds such as Sparky Rullah seem to be finished.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

UCLinden — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:19:31 GMT

Question: what do The Meadowlands, Freehold Raceway, Monmouth, the jersey shore & AC - ALL have in common --- they are all located on the eastern seaboard of N.J.!! What do Freehold, Monmouth , the jersey shore & AC - ALL have in common - they are all competing against one another during the DAY!!

Look at how many families go to the N.J.beach in the summer (including those families from out of state). During the evening, you'll find them walking the boardwalk.The question now is, why at night? Answer, what other course of family entertainment is there at night in N.J. besides the boardwalk. NONE !!!

You CANNOT have various recreation entities competing against one another all at the same time and all within the same area ... someone has to reap the benefits while another does not.

Another situation that works against Monmouth is for the most part, most N.J. families work during the day. How can you have a racing program during the day , hoping for patrons & revenue, when people are at work???

Something has to bend and in this case it has to be Monmouth in order to survive. The racing time HAS to be changed in order to accommodate the RACING fan in New Jersey (that is your revenue, the FAN). Yes, there are racing fans in New Jersey, just look at the attendance on Haskell Day!!!

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Don McD — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:22:45 GMT

New Jersey is pretty bad. New York has authorized VLTs for nearly 10 years and can't get them going yet. But I'll wager Maryland is the worst of all. Incompetent legislators, executives, and regulators have nearly destroyed racing and breeding.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

cathyd — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:49:14 GMT

I'm one of the endangered species.

I breed jersey-breds.

Larry, Moe and Curly could do a better job of running the sports authority. It's been down since the state got involved.

The casinos have not done what they said they said they were going to do (rebuild Atlantic City)

It's not a destination. It's a bus trip to a ghetto! Where would you rather be if your car broke down coming home, Atlantic City or 95 coming from Delaware or Philly?

I live in SJ.

For the past 2 years I have not gotten all of my breeders' awards, because there wasn't enough to pay us after they paid all the owners' bonus.

Monmouth Park is not a local track for me. It's a 3 hour ride. Garden State and Atlantic City were my local tracks.

Now I have to pay for stalls to train during the winter.

Maybe, I should grow a few houses on my farm instead of horses.

Pardon my rambling.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

JerseyTom — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:36:43 GMT

Interesting comment earlier about racing and casinos co-existing. ... Remember when Playboy Casino sponsored the Jersey Derby at ACRC, and Caesar's the International on the grass?

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Barry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:29:18 GMT

Tom,

Nice article, I enjoyed reading it. As most people say, horse racing is fading away. Why?

I think not enough is being done to bring in the 21-50 yr. old fans.

Most people new to game don't know enough about handicapping and don't want to sit around 30 min. until the next race. There has to be something else for them to do.

The management has to come up with new ideas. If you can get the women wanting to be there, the men will follow. [Just like any bar].

Lower food and drink prices. Instant random cash vouchers each race. More Friday night racing. Try and make the track like a party place, that people will want to come to. I'm sure someone might have other good ideas.

Racing can't be all about big purses for the owners. They have to give some of that money back to the fans. Lets hope something good happens for horse racing.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

LK — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:19:32 GMT

Isn't our state animal the horse? Also I am not a huge "green" person, but it seems to me that horses and land to keep them is more "green" than condos and buildings. Monmouth Park is a wonderful place to visit and enjoy these beautiful God-created animals.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Rich C — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:46:12 GMT

I am a small owner and had my first horse run in the Jersey Derby in 2007. He didn't disappoint me either, running past half the field into no pace and finishing 4th at 55-1 in front of 45,000 screaming fans. For me it was a very proud moment as Monmouth is my home track. I put my hard earned money and emotion into the game and it makes me very sad to hear that the government just doesn't care about racing in this state. Perhaps they should spend some quality time at the track in the morning watching horses train and talking to the trainers and backstretch workers. It is a way of life for these people and they give it their all 7 days a week. The setting at Monmouth is beautiful and if racing is to cease there it will just show how shallow we humans have become. Yes, it will be replaced by homes and stores if that is the case. Is that what we really need more of in New Jersey?

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Peggygee — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:28:03 GMT

Monmouth is beautiful, AC Racetrack was and could be beautiful again and its turf course still rivals any in the country, Meadowlands is just for pacers. Freehold holds its own.

Problem is, these state-owned tracks are losting bazillions and all on the backs of the taxpayers. They are horribly mismanaged. What's worse is the state regulates their "favored" tracks, which is another huge conflict.

NJ needs to get ALL IN or ALL OUT of track ownership. The NJSEA needs to get out of bed with the horsemen and reduce the enormous salaries and overhead. Make Monmouth an elite meet. Make AC the lower purse turf king and offer a realistic calendar to all.

A few VLTs wouldn't be bad either, after all, the casinos have simulcasting so why the double standard?

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

JerseyTom — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:54:44 GMT

Editor's note: I think it's pretty well-established Monmouth Park is one of the nicest and more successful tracks in the country. ... All the more reason to ensure it stays around.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Dixiebandfan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:31:15 GMT

The concerns echoed in the comments are legitimate if sounding somewhat hysterical. The question, in my view, is, "What are we doing about it?" If we are dependent only on the government and the track operators to support and maintain horse racing, then we are certain to see it deteriorate to total obscurity. If we don't support the ownership of horses and promote the sport to the general community, then we will only have ourselves to blame. The Kentucky breeders are happy to sell their product to foreign entities. Perhaps they don't care if the Kentucky Derby is run in Dubai.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Bob C — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:07:58 GMT

Monmouth Park has become a dump? I guess that's why the folks at Breeders Cup Ltd. chose Monmouth as the host track a couple of years ago. It seems that NJ wants to protect its casino industry (?) while allowing horse racing and breeding to just slip away. Has anyone ever thought that it is entirely possible for the casinos and the racetracks to not just merely co-exist but to actually benefit each other?

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

race day marc — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:00:24 GMT

Monmouth Park has become a DUMP. I have been going there for 35 years plus. Racing as a whole is a disaster. The racing game is OVER in America, never to rise again. I predict in the next 7 years the triple crown will be done away with. Thanks for the memories.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

BEEF29 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:59:14 GMT

Racing in New Jersey is far behind now. They may never recover. Forget slots. Slots are so watered down with PA, DE, NY and soon to be MD having them.

They need to do something else. Maybe just table games, sports betting, something else to generate income and hike the purses up.

The 2nd thing is that the State of New Jersey should be out of the racing buisness period. Sell the properties and get out. It's a major conflict of interest when the Governor doesn't want to help a State-run agency. ... This governor is full of hot air anyway and will get caught up in something during his term. He wants to take from the poor and give it to the rich (his buddies), that is his whole game plan.

As far as racing, he could care less, believe me ...

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

RGGC — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:49:02 GMT

I am an every weekend fan at Monmouth Racetrack and it is the best little track in the country. I know alot of the people who work there, and I live in the beautiful surrounding area that is kept that way because of the horse farms; some old and some new. If racing is allowed to die, the impact will be as bad as when Fort Monmouth closed in the same area. What else can they do to this county and it's economy, detonate the nukes at Earle navel base? (Oh right, they aren't there anymore, another lie the people of Monmouth Cty were told.) The last Governor didn't care about racing, I am afraid the new one may care even less. God help our sport.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Nancy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:42:29 GMT

I agree with Jennie, Gov. Christie doesn't care about racing and neither does Sweeney, he represents Atlantic City. I guess jobs the horse industry provides doesn't matter, along with the ripple effects on other businesses.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Mrs. Chapman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:10:54 GMT

Does anybody running the show have a clue? What do the people at the racetracks do? Trainers, blacksmiths, veterinarians, backstretch workers, frontside employees; where do they live off and on for eight months? How much rent revenue do the homeowners lose? Where do the horses go if the racetrack is closed?

It is prohibitively expensive for owners to have horses in training. Vanning to another track, the huge trainer's expense from tons of clean hay and straw left behind each time the entire stable is forced to move.

Wake up. There's no chance racing can survive in New Jersey.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

whirlawayjoe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:28:57 GMT

your comment of mon. pk. being an underutilized resource is spot on, fix the old gal up, let folks know what a great family place it is. the picnic area needs to be redone, but its a great track, i hope christie is tired of screwing the working people and lets monmouth stand.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Nancy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:28:36 GMT

Who's kidding who. If this plan becomes a reality, racing and breeding in NJ will be dead. I have loved racing for years but what most people in the horse industry don't understand is that the majority of people just don't care about racing period. How many McMansions and empty strip malls do you think will take the place of the horse farms?

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Jennie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:59:51 GMT

The new Gov. of NJ doesn't give a damn about horse racing, especially since the wiseguys from the Atlantic City casinos are lining his pockets. Check how much they donated to his election campaign. And you can forget about AyCee Racetrack ever experiencing a comeback, not as long as The Evil Empire, aka Greenwood Racing, owns it.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

Gosley — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:29:46 GMT

New Jersey needs to get control of AC Racetrack back from Greenwood. The annual turnout over the past few years indicates this could be a winning "boutique" meet maybe even in fall also. I like the Monmouth plan but horsemen need a second-tier track for the cheaper horses. What are they going to put up, $30,000 purses for $7,500 claimers at Monmouth?? The Meadowlands should also be a specialty turf only venue - few days here and there .

Why waste that great turf track? G.

re: Good News, Bad News in New Jersey

WinnahPickah — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:56:30 GMT

Since I live near Monmouth Park, I have an interest in what goes on. It seems to me that the casinos really want control of the Account Wagering Money. It currently is controlled by the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority.

Let's Face it! The casinos can't stop the real competition in Delaware and Pennsylvania so they pick on the little fish i.e. NJ Race Tracks.

Unfortunately, the Governor is all on board with the casinos.

My biggest question is, Who will the casinos blame once the race tracks are boarded up?