John Heims

These are uncertain times for Monmouth Park. The foal crop is down, their horse population is way down, and they're having trouble filling fields. That's what happens when you are one of many players in an overloaded Mid-Atlantic region and you are the only track that does not get revenue from casinos. (Monmouth does get a $10 million subsidy from the state to prop up purses, but that could be reduced to $2.5 million in 2027). Yet, better news may be around the corner. Bills have been introduced to have...

John Heims joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to talk about the future of racing at Monmouth Park. The Writers' Room team also discussed highlights from Memorial Day weekend racing and looked ahead to Belmont Stakes weekend and what is likely to be a star-studded GI Stephen Foster.

With the possibility of heavy rain over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Monmouth Park has preemptively moved two black-type races scheduled on the turf to Saturday, May 30. The 1 1/16-mile Cliff Hanger Stakes, which offers the winner a free berth into the GII United Nations Stakes, and the 1 1/16-mile Miss Liberty Stakes, which gives an entry into the GII WinStar Matchmaker Stakes, will move from May 23 and 24, respectively, and will now run on the same card as the May 30 Jersey Derby. "It's unfortunate, but the...

Edited Press Release With the addition of the $3 late Pick 3 and $5 late Daily Double at a reduced takeout launched just last weekend, Monmouth Park announced Friday that it is also lowering the takeout to 15% across the entire card for all Pick 3 and Daily Double wagers beginning Saturday, May 16. "The new wagers proved to be wildly popular on opening day," said John F. Heims, General Manager at Monmouth Park. "As always, we're constantly seeking to make not just the on-track experience better, but wagering on...

The TDN's Christina Bossinakis, senior editor for the Thoroughbred Daily News and a prominent TV racing personality, has been named the winner of the 2025 Bill Handleman Award for outstanding coverage of last year's NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park announced Tuesday. First presented in 2012, the Handleman Award honors distinguished media coverage of the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park's showcase race. It is presented annually prior to the Haskell. The award honors the late Bill Handleman, one of New Jersey's top sportswriters for nearly three decades for...

Oceanport, NJ--Only a few years removed from what seemed like a death-knell for the New Jersey Thoroughbred industry, Monmout Park enthusiastically ushered in its 80th racing season with a full house during the Oceanport oval's press conference held in Turf Club dining room. Hosted by the TDN's Christina Bossinakis, the event was attended by a solid contingent of elected officials as well as local horsemen and women. Also included among the event's highlights, Monmouth General Manager John Heims, a long-time Monmouth executive, was honored with the 2025 Virgil 'Buddy' Raines...

Edited Press Release In a pair of management moves at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, William Anderson has been named President and Chief Operating Officer and John F. Heims, Esq., will take over as General Manager in addition to his role as In-House Counsel, the track announced Saturday. "Bill and John have been an instrumental part of our management team since we began operating the racetrack back in 2012," said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, lessee and operator of Monmouth Park. "While their leadership has...

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who saw Tapit Trice (Tapit) make a successful return in the GIII Monmouth Cup, earned a $75,000 bonus from Monmouth Park as a result of the $150,000 Haskell Weekend Trainer Challenge that ended Saturday, July 20. Chad Brown, with a first (Beaute Cachee) and third-place finish (Delahaye) in the GIII WinStar Matchmaker Stakes, earned $25,000 for finishing second to Pletcher with 55 points. Pletcher totaled 98 points over the Haskell Weekend Trainer Challenge that ran from July 19-21. Pletcher also had the runner-up (Mindframe)...

Edited Press Release Monmouth Park will have a new look to its racing office when the 51-day meet gets under way on Saturday, May 11, with Gerry Stanislawzyk taking over as the racing secretary, it was announced today. Stanislawzyk, 52, has served as Monmouth Park's assistant racing secretary since 2016. A native of Wakefield, MA. who currently resides in nearby Colts Neck, Stanislawzyk has spent the past 10 winters as the stakes coordinator at Tampa Bay Downs. He will assume the duties previously held by John Heims, who is moving...

Monmouth Park will offer a weekend-long trainer bonus totaling $150,000 around the track's signature race, the GI Haskell S. Trainers will accumulate points covering races from from July 19 through 21, with $75,000 awarded to the winning trainer. "This is a great way to expand Haskell Day into Haskell Weekend and provide our fans with an amazing racing experience for three straight days," said Monmouth Park director of racing and racing secretary John Heims. "While Haskell Day is already circled on many conditioners' calendars, this new bonus will hopefully attract...

Jockey Tomas Mejia has been removed from his mounts at Monmouth Park this weekend after meeting with the stewards Friday morning and will have a hearing before them Wednesday, according to Monmouth racing secretary and director of racing John Heims. No reason was provided and the New Jersey oval will not issue a statement until after Wednesday's hearing.

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley We will need a bigger sample size before being able to fully evaluate how Monmouth's experiment with whip-free racing has fared. But this much is certain: Three days in and after hysterical fomenting from the pro-whip side of the argument, the whip-less races amounted to a big nothingburger. That is to say there were no incidents, no major form reversals, no mass boycotts from the horseplayers, etc. Perhaps this was just round one in what figures to be a long, drawn-out battle that...