James E. McGreevey
Governor

William D. Watley
Secretary of Commerce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523

WORLD-CLASS HORSES RACE IN NEW JERSEY
FOR $2.2 MILLION

Championship Weekend Begins with Hambletonian Festival of Racing,
followed by the Haskell Invitational featuring Funny Cide

East Rutherford and Oceanport, N.J. (July 14, 2003)—The best 3-year-old trotters and Thoroughbreds, including famed Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winner Funny Cide, will compete in New Jersey during a weekend of championship horse racing. The weekend begins at the Meadowlands Racetrack with the Hambletonian Festival of Racing (Hambletonian) on Saturday, August 2, and it continues at Monmouth Park Racetrack with the 36th annual Haskell Invitational (Haskell) on Sund ay, August 3.

Over two days, the festivities at New Jersey’s historic racecourses build up to the drama of top racehorses competing for some of the highest purses in racing. The Hambletonian is the richest trotting event in the world with $1.2 million at stake, while the Haskell is the wealthiest invitational Thoroughbred race in the United States with the top 3-year-olds competing for a $1 million purse.

“New Jersey is a state that takes pride in its rich equine history,” said Nancy Byrne, executive director for New Jersey Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism. “In addition to world-class horse racing, our state provides a wealth of horse attractions from the home of the U.S. Equestrian Team to the 147-acre Horse Park of New Jersey.”

Since 1926, the Hambletonian has been considered to be one of harness racing ’s most prestigious events. It is the first jewel in trotting’s Triple Crown and the first leg of the $1 million Glam Slam. CBS-TV broadcasts live from the event, making it the only harness race seen on one of the four major networks.

Over its 35-year history, the Haskell has attracted 17 Triple Crown race winners, including the past two 3-year-olds of the year, Point Given and War Emblem, who made history last year by becoming the first Kentucky Derby winner to win the Haskell.

More information on the 2003 Hambletonian Festival of Racing and Haskell Invitational can be obtained by contacting the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism at
609-292-2470. Parties interested in receiving a free copy of the 2003 New Jersey Travel Guide can contact the office at 1-800-VISITNJ (847-4865) or visit the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism’s Web site at www.visitnj.org.