New Jersey Racing and Breeding See Upswing in Activity

The sound of Monmouth Park's long-awaited revival blends the buzz of activity around the facility with the clatter of people eating, drinking, and wagering in the William Hill Sports Book. In the mix is another sound carried on the wind from West Long Branch, N.J., from the offices of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey (TBANJ).

It's a ringing telephone, contributing steadily to the growing volume of success.

"I have people and breeders from outside New Jersey who are calling me and asking me what the program rules are and how they can bring mares and stallions into the state. That's something we haven't seen for at least 10 to 15 years," said Michael Campbell, executive director of the TBANJ. "We're heading in the right direction."

After years of a vicious downward spiral that had racing and breeding in New Jersey on life support, the Garden State finally grasped a life preserver May 14 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monmouth Park by striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and opened the door for sports wagering in the state.

That lengthy court battle, led by Dennis Drazin, Monmouth's chairman and CEO, culminated with the opening of a sports book at Monmouth Park June 14 and gave the Jersey Shore racetrack a source of alternative revenue and a magnet for fans it had sought for decades.

By the end of June, Monmouth booked $8,176,212 million in sports bets with a declared win of 11.8% and a wagering profit of $967,403 it split with its sports betting provider, William Hill. Monmouth officials expect those figures to soar once the collegiate and National Football League seasons begin.

Monmouth also announced that through July 8 there had been a 10% jump in total wagering and 7% rise in on-track handle over 2017, easing fears that sports betting would cannibalize wagering on racing.

In another positive sign, this past weekend the Justify-less betfair.com Haskell Invitational (G1) card July 29 drew 37,189 fans and handled $13,395,279 in all-sources wagering, figures that marked a 5% increase over 2017 and did not include potential revenue from the packed sports betting room.

"The feeling around the entire building and facility is upbeat," said veteran New Jersey trainer Pat McBurney, vice president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association that operates Monmouth Park. "Finally we have some positive energy going forward, and we can work to get our purses back on equal footing with Pennsylvania and Maryland. We had some new, quality outfits come in this year and we should get more next year."

With the promise of additional racing dates and better purses in the near future, Campbell said the sports betting boom has already convinced some New Jersey farms to finally return their mares to the Garden State.

"Farms have already begun to bring mares back here so I'm sure things will slowly come back and we'll also add new people. The positive initial response we've gotten is a great sign for the future and it will help our breeding program, farms in the state and the preservation of open space in New Jersey," Campbell said. "I know everyone would welcome more racing dates and opportunities. One of the reasons why people didn't want to breed here is that there are not too many opportunities to race."

In the 1980s, New Jersey had a year-round circuit with Thoroughbred racing at Monmouth, The Meadowlands, Garden State, and Atlantic City. According to Campbell, during that era there were as many as 1,200 New Jersey-breds registered in a year.

Now, Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey has dwindled to 52 days at Monmouth from May 5 to Sept. 9 and six turf-only cards at The Meadowlands beginning on Sept. 14. That steep decline strangled the state's breeding industry as Campbell said only 60 New Jersey-breds were registered in 2017 and only 50 have been added to the ranks this year.

"As our racing dates declined so sharply, nearby states like New York and Pennsylvania increased breeders awards or added revenue from alternative gaming sources and that didn't help the situation," Campbell said. "We are in a competitive market place where you can put your mare in a van and a couple hours later she can be in one of a number of different states. It's not like we're Texas."

Campbell said his optimism has been stoked by positive feedback he has received from Drazin, who has a racing and breeding operation in New Jersey and recognizes the need for a strong breeding program in the state.

"People need to work together on this and we've had some good conversations with the leadership at Monmouth Park. They understand the importance of the New Jersey-bred program and they want to work with us to try and revitalize the program. We're happy about that and we look forward to working with them," Campbell said.

Interestingly, despite their reduced numbers, New Jersey-breds have made their presence felt on the national stage the last few years. Irish War Cry, owned and bred by Isabelle de Tomaso, the daughter of Monmouth's first president Amory L. Haskell, won the 2017 Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) and was then second in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). Sunny Ridge, a Holy Bull gelding owned and bred by Drazin and trained by Jason Servis, recently passed the million-dollar mark in earnings with a victory in the State Dinner Stakes at Belmont Park July 6.

Additionally, Kent Stakes (G3T) winner Golden Brown, who is trained by McBurney and owned by ABL Stable, Dominic Bossone, Peter Donnelly, and Jacob Schnoor Jr., finished fifth to Good Magic in the Haskell, marking the third straight year a New Jersey-bred has competed in Monmouth's richest race.

"It would be fantastic if the state-bred program can get going again. That would be a very positive development for us," McBurney said. "A longer meet and also better purses are vital for us. The benchmark for everyone is maiden special weight races, and we're about $8,000 below Pennsylvania and Maryland in purses. The more bills we can help owners pay the better it will be. They're the ones who drive the game and the breeding industry. Without owners, there's no horses."

And this year, there's definitely a new wave of horses on the grounds of a track run by a horseman's group with a more favorable workman's compensation structure than some nearby circuits.

Last summer, trainer Michael Stidham based his horses at Fair Hill and Delaware Park and had 11 starters and three wins at Monmouth.

Now he has 40 stalls at Monmouth and has six winners from 27 starters through July 29.

"So many racetracks are so focused on their casinos that they don't care about racing anymore," said Stidham, who is also stabled at Fair Hill and Arlington Park. "In a sense racing has become a necessary evil to them but at Monmouth they want to promote racing and are trying to make it as good as it used to be. Those are the kind of racetracks we want to be involved in. It's a beautiful facility, and we're hoping to build with them."

All of a sudden, it's sounding good for New Jersey racing and breeding, isn't it?