JERRY WOLKOWITZ Allentown’s Chris Kantz goes up for a shot during a recent game against Hamilton West. The Redbirds return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when they host Lawrence.
Freehold Raceway, the nation’s oldest pari-mutuel harness racing track, continues to buck the odds. Freehold recorded solid gains in wagering in 2001 compared to the previous year.
Despite a stagnant economy and setbacks in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, the central New Jersey half-mile track realized increases in both on-track and simulcast wagering in 2001. On-track average daily handle showed a 1.84 percent gain for the year, while the average handle on simulcast receptions was up by an impressive 7.03 percent. The total on-site handle was up by $9.43 million, representing a 5.63 percent boost from the previous year.
A major factor in Freehold’s successes in 2001 was the addition of Inside Track, a $3.2 million, state-of-the-art simulcasting facility that opened in August. With 300 monitors, hundreds of plush, comfortable chairs and upscale food service, Inside Track proved to be an immediate hit with the raceway’s clientele. Attendance to Inside Track rose steadily after its grand opening.
Horsemen at Freehold were afforded more racing opportunities as well as Freehold averaged one extra race per card in 2001 compared to 2000. There was also an increase in purse distribution in 2001, with overnight purses climbing 10.9 percent, that also benefited horsemen.
Richard Orbann, Freehold Raceway’s president and general manager, was pleased by the across-the-board increases.
"It’s tremendously exciting to see this kind of growth, especially coming off such a solid year in 2000," he said.
On the racing side, Freehold Raceway presented world-class harness racing. The 2001 stakes schedule provided nearly $5.5 million in purses, up 37.5 percent on the strength of 40 added divisions including nine stakes worth $100,000 or more. Again, the stakes scheduled was highlighted by two of the marquee events for 3-year-old pacing colts, the $460,926 Cane Pace, the first leg of pacing’s Triple Crown, and the $302,206 James B. Dancer Memorial.