By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
OCEANPORT- Monmouth Park officials had a much-needed successful Father’s Day with more than 20,000 estimated in attendance.
Track officials reported that 20,342 people entered the park during the June 19 slate of races.
Oceanport Councilman Joseph Irace, a regular visitor to the track, said the increased crowd was noticeable.
“I went over there Sunday and brought my dad actually for a couple of races,” Irace said. “It was definitely the most crowded it’s been this year.
“Father’s Day is always kind of a big day there so they were kind of hoping for a big day this year.”
According to Irace, the crowd was larger than in Father’s Day in the past.
Irace said there was something else noticeable other than the large crowd.
“They got over 20,000 and it was about as loud of a crowd as I’ve heard there in a while,” he said. “It was definitely the loudest crowd this year and it’s probably the loudest crowd I’ve heard since the Haskell last year.”
According to Irace, the Father’s Day crowd was dominated by families.
“The weather was perfect and a lot of people took their fathers,” he said. “There was an atmosphere in the picnic lounge, with a lot of families and a lot of kids.
“I actually turned around at one point and told my kids this is the way it used to be 30 years ago. They used to have 25,000 people there like it was nothing.”
While the Father’s Day attendance was up, Irace said the track has struggled a little bit in 2016.
“I think attendance has been slightly lower on an overall basis and I think the handle was down,” he said, adding that a few weekends have had bad forecasts that may have kept people home.
The 2016 season will be the fifth season the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association is in charge of the track and the 71st season overall for Monmouth Park.
The 57-day meet season, which began this May 14, features several festivals and special days, including the $1 million Betfair.com Haskell Invitational, which will be held July 31.
Track officials in recent years have said the future success of Monmouth Park are tied to other revenue sources, including increased casino gambling and sports betting.
Monmouth Park’s development plans — including an indoor water park, hotel and other amenities — are tied to the additional revenues projected from sports betting.