By Ryan Gallagher
OCEANPORT – The 77th season of thoroughbred horse racing officially gallops into the Jersey Shore May 7. Last week, Monmouth Park released all the details racegoers need to plan a successful trip to the track in Oceanport.
On Opening Day, the park’s team will host “The Shore’s Biggest Kentucky Derby Party” featuring an eight-race card at 2 p.m., live music from The Cliffs, free family fun day activities, screening of the Kentucky Derby and more. Opening Day is a precursor for what will be a stacked season of park improvements, lifted restrictions, new wagering styles and a packed event schedule.
Fixed Odds
Racegoers and sports bettors will notice the addition of “fixed odds” wagering this season. Monmouth Park will be the first venue in the United States to offer the new betting format as an alternative option to tote (pari-mutuel) odds.
“The odds that you bet are the odds that you get,” is the slogan for Monmouth Park’s Fixed Odds Wagering initiative. This sort of wagering allows bettors to retain the odds at the time of their bet, as opposed to tote wagering, where odds are not finalized until betting is completed and the race begins. Interested guests should look out for related signage as this betting format will only be available in select areas for now.
The new betting option will certainly give racegoers and prospective bettors more to think about when placing their wagers. One 27-year-old from Sea Bright pondered how the new betting style might affect his annual visits to the track.
“I’m a little superstitious with my bets when I do go – usually two or three times a summer. I buy the program and then the next order of business is to go down and scope out the horses around the track,” said Austin Chachko, who admitted he was no high roller or expert on horse racing. “I bet on the horses looking pristine, and that’s worked out for me so far. But I guess it (fixed odds) would affect the way I bet. Depending on the odds, it could benefit or hurt you.”
No matter how he chooses to bet, Chachko is one of the many locals looking forward to summer 2022 at the park. “When I do decide to go, it’s usually spontaneously and when the weather is nice,” he said. “Primarily it’s just a time to gamble and have beers with my friends.”
New Tech and New Rules
Operators also announced there are new ways to view the races at Monmouth Park this year. Guests will notice a new “state-of-the-art” infield video board. The “jumbo” screen will feature almost 3,800 square feet of digital LED screens, capturing new camera angles for the races; it is also set to showcase live information for bettors.
“This is another step in our ongoing commitment to enhance the fan experience,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development, LLC, operator of Monmouth Park. “We appreciate the commitment by BetMakers Technology Group to racing at Monmouth Park and we know our fans are going to enjoy the technological capabilities the video board has to offer.”
Fans may also notice changes during the races as a vote by the New Jersey Racing Commission put new crop rules in effect for the season. Beginning opening day, Monmouth Park will operate under a crop rule that aligns with House Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) guidelines. The commission voted to waive the no-crop rule implemented a year ago.
Crop rules go into effect July 1 at racetracks across the country to “create uniform rules nationally,” according to a release. HISA voted to allow Monmouth Park to adopt those rules early so jockeys won’t have to change mid-season.
The rules allow six strikes per race, with no more than two in succession before a horse has a chance to respond. There is no limit on underhanded strikes. Last year’s stricter rules allowed crop use only for safety reasons.
“We are grateful to the New Jersey Racing Commission members for giving up their time to hold a special meeting on an issue that is important to the entire industry,” said Drazin. “The commission recognized that uniformity on crop rules is paramount to our success and to the integrity of our product.
“The wagering public and our fans will benefit knowing we are once again operating under the same rules as other racetracks.”
Enforcement of the new crop rule during live racing will fall to the Monmouth Park racing office and a three-panel committee comprised of racing officials who review each race to ensure compliance.
Penalties for jockeys in violation of the crop rules are a $500 fine, loss of purse earnings and a three-day suspension for the first offense; a $2,000 fine, loss of purse earnings and a seven-day suspension for a second offense; and a $5,000 fine, loss of purse earnings and dismissal from the grounds for a third offense.
Park Experience
Monmouth Park’s management has also taken steps to improve the guest experience at the track with the lifting of certain COVID-19 restrictions and new options for dining during each race.
Additionally, a long list of race cards, festivals and family fun days are back on the schedule. Fans will once again be able to bring coolers into Monmouth Park’s picnic area on live racing days. Guests should note that standard size 32-quart coolers are allowed in the picnic area only. Food, canned beer, wine and soda are permitted while liquor and glass bottles are prohibited.
When watching races in the park, guests now have a new dining option. Named after the iconic song by Frank Sinatra, “The Summer Wind” is a new outdoor dining venue located trackside on the first floor of the Clubhouse with a full view of the racetrack. The exclusive restaurant has a set price of $35 per person and features a buffet-style soup and salad bar as well as a rotating chef’s choice entrée. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the dining area will soon be available for group party reservations.
In addition to the new dining option inside, the Monmouth Park compound is home to multiple concessions and restaurants where guests can get a bite to eat or refreshing beverage. Guests leaving the racetrack often find themselves at the Blu Grotto indoor restaurant or it’s little brother, an outdoor venue called the Beer Garden.
Partial Events Schedule
The events and festivals queued up this year at Monmouth Park are too many to mention. Some of the most anticipated are:
• The Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival, Memorial Day weekend. For three days nearly 40 food trucks will feed guests as they listen to live music, watch horse races, and participate in other activities.
• The Wine & Pizza Festival, June 25-26, featuring NJ’s top wineries and the area’s best pizza vendors.
• Classic Car Show & Oldies Day, July 10
• Haskell Day, July 23 from noon to 7 p.m.
• The Italian Festival & Wine Tasting, July 30-31
• The Surf & Turf Seafood Festival, Aug. 13-14
• The BBQ and NJ Craft Beer Fest, Sept. 3
For the first time, event tickets as well as tickets to each race day will be available for purchase online via SeatGeek, Monmouth Park’s exclusive ticket provider. Guests should refer to the Monmouth Park website to pre-plan for their favorite events.
One ‘Mo’ Day to Go!
Sunayana Prabhu
OCEANPORT – Jersey Shore couple Jeff and Kathleen Heiss, partners in Donegal Racing, are ecstatic about their formidable colt Mo Donegal, set to debut at Churchill Downs for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 7.
The Heisses acquired a 2.5 percent stake in Donegal Racing about a year ago. “We’ve only been in this group for literally a year,” Kathleen said. “But to have a horse, the first year you’re in a partnership, that’s actually in the Kentucky Derby, is just a dream come true!”
Kathleen invested in the horse racing industry to follow her passion for the sport and also to honor her mother’s memories.
“When I was young, we would go to the Monmouth Park racetrack with my mother,” Kathleen said. “It’s kind of a remembrance. My mom passed away two years ago. And so we said, ‘What would she like us to do?’ ” She told Jeff her mom would want them to have some fun and remember her this way. “And boy are we having fun!” Kathleen said.
A sport traditionally helmed by the royals is now readily accessible to the masses with lucrative micropartnership opportunities that “enables those who enjoy the sport to enter a realm they may have thought was unreachable,” said Kathleen, who is about to witness her dream come true at the finish line of the world’s most legendary racetrack. The horse has another Jersey Shore connection with Colts Neck Stables as its breeder.
The 3-year-old bay colt sired by Uncle Mo is trained by Todd Pletcher and will be running from the No. 1 post position. As of press time the odds on Mo Donegal were 10-1.
The article originally appeared in the May 5 – 11, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
