horse-racing industry say changes are on the way
Those involved in
horse-racing industry say changes are on the way
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
Courtesy of Meadowlands Racetrack/Lisa Photo Inc. Center Field, No. 1A, qualified at the Breeders Crown last weekend. In this picture, the horse won the three-year-old colt trot at the Meadowlands Racetrack on June 19.
The Breeders Crown finals at the Meadowlands Nov. 29 brought out the best harness racers in the world, and Western Monmouth County — the heart of Standardbred racing on the Eastern seaboard — was well-represented.
Among those at the Breeders Crown finals last weekend were local drivers, such as Cat Manzi and Mike Lachance; trainers, including Linda Toscano, Kerstin Miller and Patrick Lachance; breeders, such as Perretti and Walnridge in Cream Ridge; and numerous local owners.
The event transpired in the midst of possible changes coming to horse racing in the state. Recent discussions about the possible sale of racetracks by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and whether slot machines may be introduced at racetracks, will have effects on the sport’s viability.
Mark Mullen, manager of his family’s Fair Winds Farm in Upper Freehold, a large part of which is permanently preserved farmland, said he sees racing as "keeping New Jersey green."
"People don’t associate racing with farming, and racing with breeding. Breeding and training consumes farm acreage. It’s a tremendous agricultural activity," Mullen said. He suggested the following slogan for the state’s horse-racing industry: "Bet a horse, save an acre."
Mullen said that while the state has been raising bond issues to buy development rights for farms, "we should be preserving farmers, not farmland. If the farm is successful, it will continue to run. Any farming needs to be supported." He added that in order for racing to prosper, it is necessary "to get everybody pulling in the same direction — the tracks, the horsemen, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds — and the breeders all have different interests."
When asked about the possibility of NJSEA’s selling the Meadowlands and Monmouth racetracks, Mullen said he could see both sides of the issue.
"There is a certain security in knowing it is run by a state agency, but it could become stagnant," he said. "A sophisticated entertainment racing group might do wonders, but I’ve also seen privately owned tracks do poorly."
Center Field, a horse owned by Mullen’s farm and New York City attorney Ted Gewertz, qualified for the three-year-old colts and geldings trot — a $585,000 prize. The horse did not win, but earlier in the evening, a horse bred by Mullen and named Soho won a Non-Breeders Crown race.
Gewertz has owned harness racers for 20 years. His horses have won the Breeders Crown twice, both in 1991 and 1992. He races his horses all over the country and in Canada. Gewertz noted that since slots were introduced in Delaware and Canada, the quality of racing has improved.
"In Ontario, the Canadian Classic has gone from about $300,000 in 1991 [when it was won by his horse, Giant Victory] to about a million dollars today," Gewertz said.
State Assemblyman Ronald Dancer represents District 30, which includes Allentown, Upper Freehold and Plumsted, where Dancer also serves as mayor. Dancer’s family is harness racing royalty, as his father, Stanley Dancer, won four Hambletonians — the top race in the sport— and is a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Although Ronald Dancer has no horses of his own, he is a strong supporter of the industry and open space preservation.
"In New Jersey right now, there are 7,100 horse farms. Those farms include 81,000 acres — tax-paying open space. It controls sprawl at private-sector expense," Dancer said.
He noted that the state has more than 50,000 horses, "more per square mile than any other state, and it’s the state’s number one animal commodity — there are more horses than any other livestock. There are 6,000 employees directly related to the equine industry — it’s a $3 billion industry. It’s critical to have the racing industry flourish and be viable."
Dancer also pointed out that the racing industry employs both blue and white collar workers."
"It’s a socioeconomic mix. A lot of businesses today don’t employ blue and white collar workers," Dancer said.
This year the nonprofit Monmouth Conservation Foundation has focused its attention on the racing industry in Monmouth County, which boasts both a harness track, Freehold Raceway, and a Thoroughbred track at Monmouth Park in West Long Branch. Executive Director Adele Keller said, "[Racing] really affects the economy of the county. It’s a part of what our county has been doing for so many years. Western Monmouth County [with its horse farms] is so beautiful."