NJ racing

Question

I know it was discussed earlier, but here is an article I came across today regarding the proposed changes to NJ racing...

Saratoga racing in peril?

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - By Nick Kling - The Record

https://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/03/01/sports/horseracing/doc4b8ca10316a1f853248108.txt

....However, there are reports that state's leadership is on the verge of a bold, new plan which could transform the sport within its borders.

...According to www.nj.com, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which runs the state's racing, would cut its 141-day Thoroughbred season back to 71 days. Thoroughbred racing would be conducted exclusively at Monmouth, with the schedule divided between a 50-day meet during the summer and 21 days in the fall.

The longer of the two would be held on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and three Monday holidays, starting in late May and running through Labor Day.

The most dramatic change would be purse levels. The 50-day season would offer an average daily payout of $1 million -- more than $83,000 per race for a 12-race card. That would more than triple Monmouth's 2009 daily purse levels.

The 2009 Saratoga meet paid out approximately $730,000 per day, about $73,000 per race. Given the New York Racing Association's (NYRA) current tenuous financial status and little prospect of video lottery terminal (VLT) revenue, many observers expected Saratoga purses to stagnate or drop this summer.

Jersey officials may have been swayed toward changing Monmouth racing from a daily grind to event status as a result of Rachel Alexandra's appearance at the track last summer. The 2009 Horse of the Year defeated males in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on August 2. More than 37,000 fans attended.

More importantly, bettors playing the Monmouth card that afternoon pushed $12.3 million through the windows. An average day at Monmouth last year generated just $3.1 million, 75 percent less.

You don't need a crystal ball to see the future. If Monmouth is offering higher purses than Saratoga it will attract better horses. Many of them will come from the pool of animals which would have been pointing for the Spa season.

Furthermore, horsemen will have little difficulty finding a spot for their stock whether they are stakes caliber, maidens, or veteran claimers. Although Monmouth's stakes calendar is not as prestigious as Saratoga's, the lure of more money could start to move that curve back toward the New Jersey side of the ledger.

If given the opportunity, owners and trainers of stakes horses will switch their maidens as well. Do horsemen love to win at the Spa? Of course. Will purses 15-20 percent lower than Monmouth's be enough to hold their loyalty? Maybe, maybe not.

There are other factors. Will horses shipping from the Mid-Atlantic states opt for the lower expenses of a van ride to Monmouth or the longer, more expensive trip to Saratoga? Will long distance shippers prefer to fly into a New York metropolitan airport, then van to Monmouth? Will owners who live in that area prefer to keep their horses close to home if there is no sacrifice in potential purse earnings?

The 21-day fall meeting would be less of a relative threat to Belmont Park. Like the summer meet, Monmouth would hold the elongated weekend schedule. However, purses would range between $250-300,000. That's more than the Meadowlands has offered, but less than the Belmont fall meet.

New Jersey's proposal has yet to be made official. According to the reports, there should be little opposition to its enactment.

If that proves to be the case, the message is clear. New York Thoroughbred racing, with Saratoga along for the ride, will be declining in status while its neighbor states are on the rise.

Will this imminent threat be enough to prod Albany into action?

EasyGoer18 · Answer

I know it was discussed earlier, but here is an article I came across today regarding the proposed changes to NJ racing...

Saratoga racing in peril?

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - By Nick Kling - The Record

https://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/03/01/sports/horseracing/doc4b8ca10316a1f853248108.txt

....However, there are reports that state's leadership is on the verge of a bold, new plan which could transform the sport within its borders.

...According to www.nj.com, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which runs the state's racing, would cut its 141-day Thoroughbred season back to 71 days. Thoroughbred racing would be conducted exclusively at Monmouth, with the schedule divided between a 50-day meet during the summer and 21 days in the fall.

The longer of the two would be held on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and three Monday holidays, starting in late May and running through Labor Day.

The most dramatic change would be purse levels. The 50-day season would offer an average daily payout of $1 million -- more than $83,000 per race for a 12-race card. That would more than triple Monmouth's 2009 daily purse levels.

The 2009 Saratoga meet paid out approximately $730,000 per day, about $73,000 per race. Given the New York Racing Association's (NYRA) current tenuous financial status and little prospect of video lottery terminal (VLT) revenue, many observers expected Saratoga purses to stagnate or drop this summer.

Jersey officials may have been swayed toward changing Monmouth racing from a daily grind to event status as a result of Rachel Alexandra's appearance at the track last summer. The 2009 Horse of the Year defeated males in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on August 2. More than 37,000 fans attended.

More importantly, bettors playing the Monmouth card that afternoon pushed $12.3 million through the windows. An average day at Monmouth last year generated just $3.1 million, 75 percent less.

You don't need a crystal ball to see the future. If Monmouth is offering higher purses than Saratoga it will attract better horses. Many of them will come from the pool of animals which would have been pointing for the Spa season.

Furthermore, horsemen will have little difficulty finding a spot for their stock whether they are stakes caliber, maidens, or veteran claimers. Although Monmouth's stakes calendar is not as prestigious as Saratoga's, the lure of more money could start to move that curve back toward the New Jersey side of the ledger.

If given the opportunity, owners and trainers of stakes horses will switch their maidens as well. Do horsemen love to win at the Spa? Of course. Will purses 15-20 percent lower than Monmouth's be enough to hold their loyalty? Maybe, maybe not.

There are other factors. Will horses shipping from the Mid-Atlantic states opt for the lower expenses of a van ride to Monmouth or the longer, more expensive trip to Saratoga? Will long distance shippers prefer to fly into a New York metropolitan airport, then van to Monmouth? Will owners who live in that area prefer to keep their horses close to home if there is no sacrifice in potential purse earnings?

The 21-day fall meeting would be less of a relative threat to Belmont Park. Like the summer meet, Monmouth would hold the elongated weekend schedule. However, purses would range between $250-300,000. That's more than the Meadowlands has offered, but less than the Belmont fall meet.

New Jersey's proposal has yet to be made official. According to the reports, there should be little opposition to its enactment.

If that proves to be the case, the message is clear. New York Thoroughbred racing, with Saratoga along for the ride, will be declining in status while its neighbor states are on the rise.

Will this imminent threat be enough to prod Albany into action?

NJ racing

Saratoga racing in peril?

Saratoga racing in peril?

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