Bills present new hope for horse industry

Proposed legislation would keep Meadowlands open and pump $30M into racetracks

BY JANE MEGGITT Correspondent

Sen. Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders Director Lillian Burry visited Millstone Township last week to report on new legislation affecting horse racing, a major industry in the municipality and surrounding areas.

During the Jan. 19 Township Committee meeting, Beck referred to bills that passed in both the Senate and Assembly, such as S-829 andA-2926, which authorize exchange wagering on horse races in New Jersey and other states; S-1980 and A-1705, which revise off-track wagering provisions; and S-2394 and A-3531, which dedicate revenue to enhancing incentives for breeding and developing racehorses in the state.

Casagrande said another bill that passed both houses, S-11 and A-3581, would establish anAtlantic City Tourism District and provide $30million to racetracks in the state over three years. TheAtlantic City casino industry would provide the subsidy to the tracks. Gov. Chris Christie may not sign the subsidy bill, according to Casagrande.

Casagrande also spoke about the decreasing number of racing days in New Jersey. She said that the Meadowlands in East Rutherford scheduled 75 racing days in 2011 and Freehold Raceway scheduled 75 harness racing days. The Meadowlands had 138 racing days and Freehold Raceway had 163 racing days in 2010. She also noted that Monmouth Park in Oceanport has not yet set a number of days for its thoroughbred meet.

An emotional Mayor Nancy Grbelja, who owns and races standardbred harness horses, said the livelihoods of at least 70 families in the township depend on harness racing, and later added that other families in the township depend on the thoroughbred industry. She referred to the reduced racing day schedules as a “death sentence,” and said that as mayor she represents hundreds of people who will be put out of work. Grbelja said the reduced number of racing days would not provide enough for New Jersey horse breeders and owners to pay for their horses. She said the state has not made those who race or breed horses in New Jersey a priority by allowing horses born and raised in other states to compete at its racetracks. Surrounding states do not allow horses from other states to compete at their tracks.

“I can’t race in Delaware, Pennsylvania or NewYork,” Grbelja said. “New Jersey allows all states to race.”

Grbelja alleged that Christie wants to make New Jersey, which currently calls the horse its state animal, home to “rats and concrete.”

“I have a problem with that,” she said.

Burry said Christie has ignored the $4 billion equine industry, which employs 13,000 people. If Christie does not support the $30 million subsidy bill, open space and farmland preservation may be affected, she said.

Maggi Romano, who works in the racing industry, asked Beck what she would do in the event Christie vetoed the subsidy bill. Beck said she would vote to override the veto, as it is an issue with which she “respectfully disagrees with Chris Christie.”

Burry took issue with Christie not appointing people from the equine industry to the HansonCommission, which was charged with coming up with solutions to the state’s various gaming issues. Led by real estate developer Jon Hanson, the commission issued a report last year recommending closure of the Meadowlands.

The Meadowlands Racetrack may not close as a result of bipartisan legislation approved on Jan. 20 that would allow the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to jointly operate the Meadowlands with a private lessee. Bill A-3710 would allow races at the Meadowlands to continue while the state transfers the track to a private operator. The state has been operating the Meadowlands at a large deficit, and has agreed to allow Jeff Gural, a New York racetrack owner-operator and real estate developer, to take over the racetrack. The bill allows for joint operation of the track for one year, or until the new owner is approved and licensed to operate the track.

Dr. Scott Palmer, owner of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in the township, said the state should allow slot machines at racetracks like surrounding states do. Beck said that Democratic Senate President Steven Sweeney would not allowany bills relating to slots at racetracks to be posted.

“I don’t get how Steve Sweeney can influence or block a cooperative, strategic effort throughout the entire state,” Palmer said. “I find it frustrating.”

Palmer said his property has been deed-restricted for farmland preservation. When he purchased the land he thought that the state would work with him, but now believes in the possibility of the state pulling the horse industry out from under him and others who preserved their property for equine-related uses.