Dennis Drazin

The claiming period for pari-mutuel tickets and vouchers has been extended from six months to 12 months in the state of New Jersey thanks to a bill enacted by the New Jersey State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy May 11. "We appreciate the continued support that Gov. Murphy and our state legislators have shown for horse racing throughout the state," said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development, LLC, the operators of Monmouth Park. "This legislation provides a much-need grace period for people who were...

With 10 days to go before opening day at Monmouth Park, preparations are being made to kick off the 53-day meet that begins May 28. Track officials are ready to go and so are the trainers and about 1,100 horses already stabled at the seaside track. But who will ride the horses? That question remained up in the air Tuesday. The New Jersey Racing Commission has passed regulations that will go into effect on opening day that will prevent jockeys from using their whips, except for cases when there are...

Monmouth Park will switch to a 12:15 p.m. post time during live racing on Saturdays and Sundays while continuing to offer free parking and admission when the track's 76th season gets underway Friday, May 28. Post time on Fridays throughout the 53-day meet will be 5 p.m. The lone exception to the new 12:15 post time, as well as to the free parking and admission policy, will be July 17, when the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes will be contested for the 54th time. Monmouth Park's live racing schedule runs...

The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association issued the following statement on the passing of horseman John Forbes, their longtime president who passed away Sunday at the age of 73. We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our friend, colleague and mentor John Forbes. Born to a family of horsemen, John was the consummate horseman. He was old-school. He was devoted to the horse, the industry and its people. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He demanded of the industry that which he expected of himself—honesty, integrity, hard...

Last week's headlines had little to do with on-track action. This coming week though, we awaken from the sport's annual post-Breeders' Cup snooze with an eye toward decent Thanksgiving weekend racing and on-the-horizon stakes that could add a touch of intrigue to the tail end of the 2020 season. But before you feast upon the holiday fare, chew on these side dishes that anchored the last seven days of the news cycle (plus a few other tidbits that didn't land on the front pages): Last Tuesday we learned via federal...

Even as a separate bill to allow fixed-odds wagering on in-state horse races is making its way through the New Jersey Legislature, the state's racing commission voted 4-0 Nov. 18 to give consent for licensees to try a fixed-odds pilot program during 2021 that would be limited to bets on out-of-state Grade I races. The vote was unanimous but not without misgivings, as several commissioners voiced concerns prior to the vote that fixed-odds betting would cannibalize the existing pari-mutuel system and eventually erode New Jersey's racing industry. And one New...

With his victory in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, Authentic (Into Mischief) earned a $1-million bonus for his connections from Australian-based racing technology group BetMakers. In conjunction with Monmouth Park's Dennis Drazin, BetMakers created the 'BetMakers Bonanza' for any horse that could win the 2020 renewals of the GI Haskell Invitational, the GI Kentucky Derby and then finish it off with the Breeders' Cup Classic. Authentic went wire to wire to score in the 10-furlong test by 2 1/4 lengths. "With all the winners of the majors competing in...

Monmouth Park showed increases in both the daily transmission of its signal and in total average handle compared to 2019 during the combined 44-day meet that concluded Saturday. Monmouth Park's average daily simulcast handle increased 27.09% to $3,604,413 daily compared to $2,836,148 last year. The overall average handle was up 20.81% to $3,807,082 daily compared to $3,151,201 last year. "We are so grateful to everyone for supporting this extraordinary meet and, more specifically, the Governor's Office and the New Jersey Racing Commission for allowing us the ability not only to...

When it was announced last week that a record $748.6 million had been wagered on sports during September in New Jersey that appeared to be more bad news for horse racing. It was the most ever bet in any one state during a month and a sign of the times. The amount legally wagered on sports in this country is soaring, with no end in sight, and it stood to reason that some of that money had been siphoned off from racing. Sports betting is now available in 18 states...

After a $20 million purse subsidy that was used to bolster purses at New Jersey's Thoroughbred and Standardbred tracks was left out of an initial budget proposal from Governor Phil Murphy, lawmakers have approval a final budget that will include a $15 million subsidy for the 2021 racing season. The money will be divided evenly between the two breeds. "I am pleased that the governor has seen fit to give us back 15 of the $20 million that is going to go support purses next year," said Dennis Drazin, Chairman...

Beginning Oct. 1, Betfair will no longer accept exchange wagers from its New Jersey customers, ending a brief and unsuccessful experiment in the U.S. for a form of wagering that couldn't overcome a number of obstacles that stood in its way of success. Founded in 2000, Betfair introduced exchange wagering in the U.K., where it proved to be wildly popular. A betting exchange is a marketplace where customers set their own odds on a horse. If someone accepts those odds, the bets are matched. This also allows customers to act...

Darby Development CEO and Monmouth Park Operator Dennis Drazin issued the following statement Friday regarding the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act: As Chairman and CEO of Monmouth Park Racetrack and as counsel and advisor to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA), I am pleased to announce Monmouth Park's support for the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act. I had the opportunity to listen carefully to the press conference at Keeneland where Senator Mitch McConnell announced his support for this historic legislation designed to improve the integrity and safety...