Monmouth Park

New Jersey-bred GSW Joey P (Close Up) was euthanized at Old Friends Monday after succumbing to complications from a respiratory illness at the age of 23, the farm announced via release. A frequent face in the black-type ranks his entire career, Joey P won the GIII Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes at Monmouth Park as a 3-year-old and was even given a shot at the GI Haskell Invitational Handicap. While it was not to be, the gelding visited the winner's enclosure 18 times in his career and retired in 2011...

4th-Monmouth, $51,275, Msw, 6-1, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:11.05, ft, 9 1/2 lengths. SINGLEMINDED (c, 3, Win Win Win--Eva London {SP}, by Adios Charlie) debuted Apr. 5 at Gulfstream Park in a mile turf maiden, and never left midpack for most of the race, finishing sixth in what became a blanket scramble on the wire. Moved to the main track and given blinkers for this second jump, the betting public made him the 6-5 second choice behind Bob Mo (Uncle Mo), who stepped forward to set the tempo as the 4-5 favorite....

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Lope De Vega's Growth Trajectory at Monmouth Park.   Chad Brown. Check. Klaravich Stables' silks. Check. Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling grad. Also check. That particular combo combined in Lope De Vega's 3-year-old filly Growth Trajectory, who blitzed a field of Monmouth maidens by 3 1/2 lengths on May 25 (video). Bred by The Wekeela Partnership in Britain, she was an 180,000gns purchase...

7th-Mth, $47K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 3:56 p.m. ET. The holiday card by the Jersey Shore includes first-time starter DIRAND (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}). Owned by Peter Brant and Tony Shafrazian, the 3-year-old is out of Unaided (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who White Birch acquired for €1,250,000 at the 2019 Arqana December Mixed Sale while in-foal to No Nay Never. This dam is also responsible for champion turf female & GI TVG Breeders' Cup Mile heroine Uni (GB) (Medaglia d'Oro). Dirand is trained by Chad Brown. From the same shedrow, Investment Mandate...

The two racetrack jobs that Crystal Conning currently has can be broken down simply. In one, her goal is to pick winners. In the other, it's to ride them. On Monday, her professional worlds will collide when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker (Peace and Justice) in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between TV appearances. "I think it's going to be cool to ride a race at Monmouth Park," said Conning, who hails from Melbourne, Australia. "I've been here three summers working and...

Monmouth Park set a Mother's Day attendance record Sunday when a crowd of 14,687 turned out to support a 10-race card. The New Jersey track's previous Mother's Day record attendance of 14,121 was set in 2015. The total handle for the day was $4,144,072. "We appreciate the turnout by our fans to help make Mother's Day a special afternoon at Monmouth Park," said Bill Anderson, the track's president and chief operating officer. "It's always nice to see a big crowd and a festive atmosphere like we had today." A year...

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...

The stabling area at Monmouth Park opened Saturday morning and trainer Mike Dini had the first horse to arrive for the second straight year as a juvenile from Tampa Bay Downs led the parade into the New Jersey fixture ahead of opening day May 10, the track announced Saturday afternoon. Dini has 60 stalls to fill ahead of the 50-day meeting, and with his current string down in Florida, the trainer says practicality led the decision to start shipping early rather than any pointed intention to be the first on...

Joining New Jersey and Colorado, West Virginia has become the third state to legalize fixed odds wagering on horse racing. The legislation was fully completed Saturday and the state's racetracks, sports book and gambling apps can begin accepting the bets whenever they are ready to go. The Legislature passed the bill by a 55-43 count. "I am the general counsel and lobbyist for the Charles Town HBPA, and so that was the impetus for me trying to get this started," said lobbyist Philip Reale. "Fixed odds has been popular in...

That the figures recently released by the Jockey Club from its Equine Injury Database showed another significant drop in the number of fatalities was good news, but hardly surprising news. The numbers seem to get better every year. But dig deeper into the data presented by the Jockey Club and there is a number that is quite surprising and encouraging. In 2024, dirt tracks were almost as safe as synthetic tracks. There were 1.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts on the dirt, which came very close to the number in the...

7th-Colonial Downs, $100,000, (R), Hcp, 3-14, 4yo/up, 7f, 1:20.03, ft, 2 1/2 lengths. BOOK'EM DANNO (g, 4, Bucchero--Adorabella, by Ghostzapper) was clearly the showstopper here as the field scratched down to just three from 11 horses, and he made his 2025 bow a winning one. Last seen running fifth in a salty GII Cigar Mile Handicap Dec. 7, he'd been winless since claiming the Listed Jersey Shore Stakes by a nose in mid-July at Monmouth Park. He'd hit the board in the GIII Perryville and GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial...

Fifty days since his last mount, when he was suspended by HISA for striking a horse in a malicious manner following a race at Parx, Paco Lopez will return Saturday at Laurel, where he will have three rides. They include the mount on Hawkstone (Catalina Cruiser) in the Spectacular Bid Stakes. "I'm feeling good and I've been working very hard to be ready for my comeback," he said. Lopez was aboard National Law (Constitution) in a maiden special weight race at Parx for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. The horse bore...