Monmouth Park

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...

Kelly Breen, who capped the season with a pair of stakes wins on the closing-day card, was the leading trainer at the Monmouth Park meet which concluded Sunday. It was Breen's third training title at the New Jersey oval, but his first in 14 years. "It means a lot," said Breen. "To think back to when I last won the title 14 years ago to today, I lost both of my parents over that time and today would have been my mom's birthday. So it's special. I felt like I...

Several of the regulars who ride at Monmouth Park say they were never consulted by the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) before banning the use of the whip starting in 2021 and, if they were, they would have told regulators they were out of touch and creating an untenable situation. "This is a really, really, really bad decision," said Antonio Gallardo, who is fourth in the current standings. "You can't just take the whip right away like that. If they wanted to put in a rule like they have in...

In the wake of last week's news that Betfair intends to pull the plug on its exchange wagering platform in New Jersey on Oct. 1, Dennis Drazin, the chairman and chief executive of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park, told the New Jersey Racing Commission Sept. 16 that his track is actively seeking another partner to continue the bettor-versus-bettor style of wager-matching that is popular in other parts of the world but hasn't quite caught on in America. "Although they want out of business, we do not," Drazin said....

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...

The stellar weekend for Spendthrift Farm stalwart Into Mischief continued with a new stakes winner in Monmouth's Sorority S. Monday. Unveiled against New York-breds sprinting at Saratoga, Mischievous Dream closed to win by a length July 19, but could only manage fourth after a wide trip over course and distance in the Bolton Landing S. there Aug. 19. Stepped up to a mile for the first time, the third choice sidled over to the rail and settled in midpack in the full field behind splits of :23.20 and :48.37. Catching...

Chris Griffin will call the races for the remainder of the Monmouth Park meeting as regular announcer Frank Mirahmadi returns to California Sept. 12 to call the upcoming Santa Anita meeting. The Monmouth meet concludes Sept. 27 and will be followed by a nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet in October. Griffin, 39, most recently served as the track announcer at Sam Houston Race Park. "It's a huge opportunity. I'm excited," said Griffin. "I'm looking forward to getting back into the booth and calling races. This has been a strange year, as everyone...

At a time when there's so much negative news in the Thoroughbred industry (and sadly, the entire world it seems) some of the good people in the game merit a few words. On August 29th, veteran rider Jose Ferrer celebrated his 4500th career victory on our filly Tracy Ann's Legacy (Shackleford) at Monmouth Park. The video from that win is priceless; you can hear Jose's wife, Steffi and their two kids screaming and cheering as she comes down the stretch seven lengths in front. Seeing Jose's face as he brings...

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...

The easing of restrictions on indoor dining throughout New Jersey beginning Friday, Sept. 4, Monmouth Park will expand its indoor dining on a limited capacity, pending N.J. Racing Commission approval. The expanded dining venues will include: The William Hill Sports Bar, the first floor grandstand in front of the video board, the Patio Terrace Teletheater and available reserved group rooms. Dining areas will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Capacity for indoor dining will be restricted to 25% of the indoor dining area, as per Gov. Phil Murphy's Executive...

When Ferrin Peterson came to Monmouth to ride this spring, she expected that she would have nine months as an apprentice rider to get her feet under her. And if she hadn't been so good, she would have. Last weekend at Monmouth, Peterson not only lost her bug after winning her 40th race Saturday, but went on to have the most successful weekend of any rider at the track, with four wins, five seconds and five thirds. Three of those wins came without the seven-pound allowance with which she had...

The American Graded Stakes Committee has ruled that the Aug. 27 Smart N Fancy S. at Saratoga and Monmouth Park's GIII Eatontown S., contested Aug. 29, will remain downgraded for 2020 after both events were taken off the turf and moved to the main tracks last week. The Smart N Fancy was automatically downgraded to a non-listed black-type, while the Eatontown became a listed race after its removal from the turf. All races that are originally scheduled for the turf but subsequently moved to the dirt are automatically downgraded, however,...