MILLSTONE — A landmark operation in the New Jersey standardbred horse racing industry will close its doors on Oct. 1.
The operators of the Showplace Farms training center on Route 33, Millstone Township, announced on July 23 that the 140-acre facility will cease operations after 36 years.
In a statement posted on harnessracing.com, Showplace Farms General Manager Bix DiMeo said, “It has been a good run, but with fewer horses racing and the current economic climate here in New Jersey for harness racing, this business model no longer works for us.”
The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey reacted to the announcement in a statement from its president, Thomas Luchento, who said that when Showplace Farms opened nearly four decades ago, “it reflected the health of the standardbred racing industry in New Jersey, thanks to the debut of the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1976.
“Showplace, home to more than 425 horses, was a new concept: a first-class training center with its own track, state-ofthe art barns, a swimming pool for rehabilitating horses, and fenced in pastures for grazing.
“New Jersey horsemen, however, have fallen on hard times, competing against the casino-fueled purses in surrounding states. It is making it more difficult for Showplace and other training centers to collect rent and make their businesses viable.
“Meanwhile, the racetracks – including Freehold and the Meadowlands – have torn down their barn areas, leaving many horsemen without stabling options,” Luchento said.
“Until now, the owners of the farms and training centers were willing to gamble on the future of New Jersey racing, believing that the addition of gaming at the Meadowlands would raise the purses and justify the risks.
“However, the failure of our leadership in Trenton to put the question of North Jersey gaming on this year’s ballot has been the last straw for Showplace Farms, and perhaps others to follow.
“If the racing industry in the Garden State were to fail, it goes beyond track ownership and track employees. Its demise would trickle down to the veterinarians, hay and grain growers, blacksmiths, horse transport companies, and others who make their living in some fashion off the racing and breeding industries.
“This is a billion-dollar industry in jeopardy, a meaningful source of revenue to the state’s economy. Unless New Jerseyans want to see our farmland, of which 20 percent is equine-related, paved over, we need Trenton to step up and bring gaming to the Meadowlands now,” Luchento said.
A call seeking comment from state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (DCumberland, Gloucester, Salem) regarding the ballot question Luchento referred to in his statement was not returned by deadline.
For many years, Showplace Farms was a regular stop on New Jersey’s Sire Stakes summer circuit.
At Sire Stakes events, members of the public were invited to visit the farm, tour the facility, speak with individuals who work in the harness racing industry and watch harness races on the farm’s fiveeighths of a mile track.
The 140-acre Showplace Farms parcel is in Millstone Township’s Planned Commercial Development zone on Route 33, according to municipal officials.