Monmouth Park’s rainy 2018 meet, with attendance and handle numbers not far off 2017, though it lost over one-third of its scheduled turf races to weather.
The Garden State racing industry welcomed the opening of the new FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Saturday — but said more must be done to put racing on firm footing.
With a Supreme Court ruling and new law in place, New Jersey’s Monmouth Park will accept its first sports wagers on Thursday, the track announced.
Horsemen hailed the Supreme Court’s decision on sports betting as one that could be a game-changer for Monmouth Park, returning the track to its glory days.
The Supreme Court ruled that the law banning states from allowing sports betting is unconstitutional; Monmouth Park cheered, while the NTRA greeted the news warily.
Among the biggest changes to the stakes schedule at Monmouth in 2018 will be the track’s five event days, each anchored by at least two graded stakes.
Monmouth Park will sweeten the financial pot for owners and trainers this year to increase field size, as well as opening on Kentucky Derby day.
Monmouth Park folks are hopeful that sports betting will save the grand track — but some trainers say they can’t wait and are moving their operations.
It was a solid meet for the Big M as the all-turf Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet showed solid wagering gains this year.
Bob Kulina, a New Jersey racing fixture for decades, will retire effective the end of 2017, the track announced.