Monmouth Park, Oceanport, has added two live racing dates on Sundays in September to extend the 2022 meet to 62 days following approval from the New Jersey Racing Commission.
Sept. 11 and Sept. 18, the new closing day, are the added live dates, with stakes races highlighting both cards. The $85,000 Pinot Grigio Stakes will headline the Sept. 11 card, with the $85,000 Joey P. Stakes set for Sept. 18. Both are for New Jersey-breds at five furlongs on the turf, according to a press release.
Monmouth Park’s 77th season gets underway on May 7 with an eight-race card as the prelude to the Kentucky Derby that evening. First race post time for the Monmouth Park card that day is 2 p.m.
A total of 50 stakes, 10 graded events, worth $8.135 million will highlight the meet, topped by the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes on July 23.
Several stakes races will see a significant boost in purses this summer, including the Grade 1 United Nations, which goes from $500,000 to $600,000; the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup (from $300,000 to $400,000); the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher (from $250,000 to $400,000) and the Grade 3 Matchmaker (from $150,000 to $200,000).
All of those races, as well as the $100,000 Wolf Hill Stakes, will be on the Haskell Day undercard.
Haskell Preview Day on June 23 will feature four stakes races – the Pegasus, the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes, the Grade 3 Salvator Mile and the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes.
The 20th annual New Jersey Thoroughbred festival is set for Aug. 28.
Following a 2 p.m. first post time for opening day, Monmouth Park will go to a 12:15 first race post time on weekends and holidays. When the racing schedule expands in July and August, first race post time on Fridays and Mondays will be 2 p.m.
Following the conclusion of the Monmouth Park meet on Sept. 18, live thoroughbred racing in New Jersey will shift to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford for nine all-turf cards starting Sept. 23. That meet will run through Oct. 22, according to the press release.