Monmouth Park Honored on Senate Floor

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AMERICAN PHAROAH WASN’T the only winner on Haskell Day.
Sens. Joseph Kyrillos, Jennifer Beck and Steven Sweeney presented a special resolution on the Senate floor Thursday praising Dennis Drazin and the entire Monmouth Park Racetrack team for making the Haskell such a crowd pleaser and financial success.
The resolution noted the record crowd of just shy of 61,000 and the extraordinary economic impact it had on the region. Not only was it the Haskell’s largest purse at $1.75 M but the day also established a record of pari-mutuel wagering.
In addition, the resolution offered “hearty congratulations” to New Jersey’s own Zayat Stables, owners, of the victorious American Pharoah, the Twelfth Triple Crown winner in history, and his trainer, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
The resolution notes that Monmouth Park, which “became this State’s first grand racing venue when it originally opened as the Long Branch Racetrack in 1870, has made considerable contributions to the economy of New Jersey, and its owners were ranked among the most influential figures in the thoroughbred racing world, helping to form the Jockey Club in 1894.”
The equestrian industry has a long and storied history in the Garden State, the resolution said, producing goods and services in excess of $710 million and providing tens of thousands of jobs, as well as generating significant revenue through racing and recreation.
Drazin and Monmouth Park have made considerable contributions to the state, it stressed.
Both Kyrillos and Beck attended the Haskell Aug. 2 to watch The Pharoah slingshot around the far curve with Victor Epinoza riding him to victory in one minute, 47.95 seconds, finishing two and a quarter lengths ahead of Keen Ice who challenged in the stretch. Epinoza was actually slowing Pharoah in the final stretch, protecting the colt from possible injury.