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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact:
Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523
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| SUMMER DOG DAYS
ARE NEW JERSEY HORSE DAYS Trenton, N.J. (July 8, 2004)—Get a horse—better yet, cheer on someone else’s at any of New Jersey’s thoroughbred and trotter tracks. Pounding hooves thundering around dirt tracks have been rousing crowds to their feet for years. The “sport of kings” is the second most widely attended spectator sport in the U.S. after baseball, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. "What can be more thrilling than watching magnificent animals race for high stakes on beautifully landscaped tracks?” said Nancy Byrne, executive director, New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism." Horse racing happens all summer long in New Jersey, near the shore, at Monmouth and Freehold, and in the metro-Newark area, at the Meadowlands.” Don’t miss the big ones: The $1.2-million Hambletonian Festival of (harness) Racing at Meadowlands Race Track in East Rutherford on August 7; the $1-Million Haskell Invitational Thoroughbred Race at historic Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport on August 8, and the $335,000 Cane Pace, the first jewel in the Triple Crown pacer series at Freehold Raceway in Freehold on September 6. Following are statistics and operating days of the three tracks. The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, 800-227-4480 • 201-843-2446 www.thebigm.com Harness racing takes place Wednesday through Saturday nights and most Tuesday afternoons, December through July; thoroughbred racing takes place Wednesday through Saturday, October through mid-November. There is a one-mile oval track for harness racing and a 7/8-mile turf for thoroughbreds. The track accommodates 40,000 spectators on four levels. The Hambletonian Stakes is the world’s richest trotter race and, according to the Travel Channel, one of the top ten races in the world. Named after an all-time great trotter, it is considered the tour de force of harness racing. The prize is the most coveted in the sport and also the most expensive — valued at $1.2 million. This year’s weeklong Hambletonian Festival begins Saturday, July 31 with a parade, rides, music and entertainment. It culminates Saturday, August 7 with all-day racing, children’s games and entertainment. Monmouth Park Racetrack, Oceanport, 732-571-5544 www.monmouthpark.com Thoroughbred racing Wednesday through Sunday, May to September on a one-mile oval and a 7/8-mile turf tracks. The track accommodates 8,000 spectators on four levels: paddock, two outside covered mezzanines and an enclosed grandstand. There are five restaurants and two are non-smoking. The 16-stall paddock enclosure leads to a tree-shaded English Walking Ring, where horses are paraded for the public and the jockeys receive last minute instructions. Sundays are Family Days with children’s activities. Dawn Patrol (mid-June till end of season) is a free two-hour morning tour of the track showing visitors a day in the life of a thoroughbred racehorse during a tram ride through the backstretch, starting gate and jockey's room. The backstretch houses approximately 1,600 horses in 38 barns and serves as a small community for the horsemen and track employees. The Quadrangle houses a riding apparel shop, post office and recreation hall, featuring movies, seminars and games. The $1-million Haskell Invitational (August 8) dates from 1968 and is named for Amory Haskell, who led the effort to legalize pari-mutuel wagering during the 1940s, lifting a New Jersey ban on horse betting that had been in effect since 1893. Freehold Raceway, Freehold, 732-462-3800 www.freeholdraceway.com Established in 1853, Freehold Raceway is the oldest raceway in New Jersey. Standard-bred trotter and pacer harness racing takes place Tuesday or Wednesday through Saturday, August through May on a ½-mile track (horses do two laps). The track accommodates 2,800 spectators on four levels. The Cane Pace, which happens every Labor Day (September 6) is a $335,000 stake race begun in 1955 and is considered the first jewel of the Pacing Triple Crown. For further information on tourism in the Garden State, or to receive a copy of the 2004 New Jersey Travel Guide, contact the New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism at 800-VISITNJ (847-4865) or check the website at www.visitnj.org.
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