Future is Nownownow at Monmouth Park

The future at Monmouth Park is not just now.

It's Nownownow.

The closing-day Sept. 26 featured race at the Jersey Shore racetrack will feature the unveiling of the financially enhanced Nownownow Stakes for 2-year-olds on turf with a purse of $500,000.

Introduced last year, the one-mile Nownownow debuted with a purse of $150,000. Now that value has been more than tripled as part of a boost to Monmouth's stakes program.

Other possibilities include pumping up the value of the United Nation Stakes (G1T) to bring back its international appeal now that the Arlington Million (G1T), which was run this year as the Mr. D. Stakes, appears to have ridden into the sunset. There might also be a version of the Nownownow for 2-year-old fillies in the near future.

For the present, the Nownownow stands as the latest example of the way Monmouth has embraced change in hopes of improving its business, joining a list of past innovations that includes sports betting and exchange wagering.

"When we received our supplemental subsidy for the state this year, we thought about the future and how it would be nice if we could get another 'Win and You're In' race for the Breeders' Cup, and 2-year-olds on the turf seemed a nice category for it," said Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park, and who won the Supreme Court case that opened the door for sports betting across the country.

The $2.5 million purse subsidy also allowed Monmouth to add three extra days of racing and increase overnight purses beginning July 17, which just so happened to be Haskell Stakes Day. But rather than pour all of the funds into those races, the idea of also adding another financially alluring stakes to the schedule seemed to be a better fit in the eyes of Drazin and Monmouth's director of racing and racing secretary John Heims.

"Some people wanted to spread all the money across the overnight races, but what will a $1,000 purse increase do for a $5,000 beaten claimer or $20,000 non-winners of three claimer? I'm not going to get one additional horse for that race and, as an owner, you would have to win it to make $480. So if we can make a splash and do something of substance for that stakes race, as opposed to doing nothing for the claimer, let's see if we can get something back on the investment through a bigger field and more betting on the stakes," Heims said. "We may not see it in the first year, but people will target the Nownownow and use it as their Breeders' Cup prep. We'd rather build on something and take a chance than do the same old thing."

Named after the winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, which was held at Monmouth Park in 2007, Sunday's Nownownow attracted a field of 10 starters, all of whom have connections that will happily point toward the Nov. 5 Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar if they can prevail.

"It was interesting to see a $500,000 race for 2-year-olds there. It gives you another option besides the ($200,000) Pilgrim (G2T, Oct. 3 at Belmont Park) and the ($200,000 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes, G2T, Oct. 10 at Keeneland)," said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who entered two juveniles, Royal Spirit , a son of Into Mischief   owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, and Sweeping Giant , a Curlin   colt for Donegal Racing. "I'm sure they did their research and felt there was a need for it."

America's leading turf trainer, four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, did not enter any contenders. But he praised Monmouth's move and voiced a desire for a filly version of the race.

"It's a great concept and I wish they had a filly race, even if they had to take a little off the table for colts," Brown said. "I think turf racing is something that will continue to move forward and it makes sense to build up these horses as 2-year-olds with nice stakes."

It may not be long before Brown's wish comes true.

"We're taking it one at a time," Drazin said. "If we get more money, maybe we can add a filly race. We're going to carefully assess all of our options. A lot of things are under consideration, but we'll try to accommodate Chad and do a filly race, too. He supports us and we value that."

Since the purse boost for the Nownownow was not announced until July, it left overseas stables little time to prepare for the race and a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Now, they can circle the race on their calendars for 2022 and Monmouth can try to recruit some international shippers.

Heims and Drazin both said they would try to drum up foreign interest for the Nownownow and the United Nations, which carried a $515,000 purse this year and has grade 1 status but has become overshadowed in recent years.

"I think we're really going to try to put some money into the U.N. and put a lot more effort into it," Heims said. "It's fallen onto hard times the last few years but if there's no longer an Arlington Million there's going to be a void on the calendar for a race for that caliber of international horses. The U.N. can have a very nice future if we can get it back to where it once was. It's called the United Nations, so we should have some international horses."

Drazin was hoping that the introduction of fixed-odds wagering would also be part of the closing weekend festivities, but the State Attorney General's office has yet to approve the wager's regulations, basically ending those hopes for the 2021 meet. As reported previously in BloodHorse, rather than wait until next spring, Drazin has already spoken with New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O'Rourke about the possibility of using NYRA's signal for fixed-odds wagering in the winter and the Monmouth boss is hopeful of generating all of the proper approvals for it.

But for now, the future and the present is all about Nownownow.

"I'd rather fail and try than fail to try and just sit on our hands," Heims said. "We like how everything has fallen into place and we believe this should be a great closing-day feature going forward."