Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Deal Calls for Less Race Dates, Bigger Purses

March 15, 2010

Officials announced an agreement with the horsemen's Thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack this fall while tripling the purse offerings for such races at Monmouth Park this summer. Purses at the Oceanport track will average $1 million per day, with no races on Wednesday and Thursday. The total number of thoroughbred racing live dates will be cut virtually in half from the 141 dates last year.

By the numbers Monmouth Park will offer $1 million per day in purses for a 50-day meet this summer, more than any track in the nation offered last year. The 2009 leaders in average daily purse distribution:

Saratoga Race Course (summer), N.Y. $729,100 for 36 days
Keeneland (fall) Lexington, Ky. $608,730 for 17 days
Keeneland (spring) Lexington, Ky. $601,950 for 15 days
Belmont Park (fall) Elmont, N.Y. $556,545 for 33 days
Del Mar Racetrack Del Mar, Calif. $544,295 for 37 days
Source: New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority

“The longevity of the racing seasons is nearly identical to what it’s been in the past, but with fewer dates and the highest purses in the country, we’re more than a little optimistic that significant gains in attendance, handle, and field size are quickly on the horizon,” said Dennis Robinson, president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. “We’re confident that this new racing schedule ... will breathe new life into this industry.”

The season will start May 22 and include special sessions on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. The fall meet, running from mid-September to mid-November, will feature weekends-only purses of $250,000 to $300,000, except for a $1 million special event for Jersey-bred horses on Sept. 18.

“The reality is that fans have been asking for quality, competitive racing, with larger field sizes,” said Monmouth Park General Manager Robert Kulina, who expects to average 12 live races per day. “There’s no question that this purse structure will generate interest from horsemen throughout the country.”

Robinson said that financial issues played into the decision not to offer thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands for the first time since 1977.

“The savings associated with running thoroughbreds strictly at Monmouth and [harness races] strictly at the Meadowlands will help close the 2010 budget gap of the sports authority,” Robinson said.

The plan is subject to legislative approval. The highest average daily purse distribution in 2009 was the $729,100 for Saratoga Race Course’s 36-day summer meet in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., according to the sports authority. The New York Racing Association earlier this month announced that total stakes purses for the 2010 Saratoga Meet would be down 2.6 percent from last year.