By Stephen Appezzato
OCEANPORT – On May 13 Monmouth Park will kick off its 78th horse racing season, featuring 48 different stakes through September.
The organization, which was founded in 1870 to boost economic activity along the Jersey Shore, maintains its renown status in the horse racing community and has featured appearances from some of the most successful thoroughbred horses in American racing history.
For its upcoming racing season, Monmouth Park will feature nine stakes restricted to just New Jersey-bred horses, showcasing local steeds. Additionally, purse increases were announced for some annual races, including the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher – going from $400,000 to half a million – and Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker, increasing from $200,000 to $300,000. These races are part of Haskell Day July 22, which will feature nearly $3 million in purses.
In 1968, the first Haskell Stakes – originally called the Monmouth Invitational Handicap – took place at the racetrack. Over the years, the event saw numerous name changes. Most recently, in 2020 the race was renamed the Haskell Stakes as it is no longer an invitational. The purse for the Haskell has been $1 million for most years since 1997, increasing during seasons when famous thoroughbreds, like War Emblem and American Pharoah, came to New Jersey.
Horse racing as a sport has stood the test of time, tracing its roots back to the 12th century when English knights captured Arabian horses during the Crusades, bringing them back home to race. The first racetracks in America were built in the mid-1600s on Long Island, following the sport’s exportation to the New World.
In the media, numerous large scandals in the sport over the past century have come to light, raising concerns over ethical practices, racing regulations and financial oversight.
Famously, the 2021 Kentucky Derby winning steed Medina Spirit failed a drug test shortly after the race. In the prior year, 27 horse racing industry professionals were indicted over doping schemes. Performance enhancing drugs in horse racing not only creates unfair race outcomes, but also poses serious health implications for the animals.
To combat such scandals, 2020 saw the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The federal legislation, a first of its kind for the horse racing industry, was designed “to improve the integrity and safety of horse racing by requiring a uniform anti-doping and medication control program to be developed and enforced by an independent Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority.” Prior to the act, horse racing largely did not operate under uniform federal regulations. The act took effect July 1, 2022.
Despite high-profile controversies in its history, such as doping schemes, race fixings and animal abuse accusations, horse racing has demonstrated it is here to stay. The sport maintains its high stature in the gaming industry.
According to Equibase, the official supplier of racing information and statistics for a number of equine organi- zations, the total value of all horse racing purses in the United States was $1.3 billion, an increase of nearly 11% from the previous year.
In New Jersey, the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement reported in its 2022 gaming revenue results that the gross revenue of sports wagering throughout the year was $763 million. While a 6.5% decrease from the previous year, sports wagering in New Jersey remains a major income for gaming companies. Monmouth Park, one of the three racetrack licensees in the state, reported over $20 million in wagering revenue for the year. Clients visiting the Caesar’s Sportsbook at Monmouth Park, open seven days a week, can bet on sporting events ranging from football and basketball to rugby, cricket and table tennis.
In addition to Opening Day celebrations, Monmouth Park offers activities every weekend, including such perennial favorites as the Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival (May 27- 29); NJ Irish Festival (June 11); Italian Festival & Wine Tasting (July 29-30); and BBQ & NJ Craft Beer Festival (Sept. 2-4), among many others. New this year are a Latin Festival (Aug. 6) and a Seafood & Seltzer Festival (Aug. 12-13).
The article originally appeared in the February 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
