by Tom De Martini

The New Jersey Racing Commission tabled advertising proposed new rules banning anabolic steroid use due to a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association on Tuesday.

The suit, brought in Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, restrains the commission from conducting further activity on the matter until a management conference scheduled for August 25 is held.

Horsemen want discussions on steroid policies held during scheduled commission meetings in compliance with state law on open public meetings.

The suit states New Jersey horsemen do not oppose regulation of veterinarian-controlled use of steroids and recognize the need for such regulation.

However, the suit also states horsemen oppose regulation of veterinarian-prescribed steroids for appropriate purposes.

Thoroughbred horsemen and the commission have previously clashed over the open-meetings law.

In January, a state appellate court ruled the commission violated the Open Public Meetings Act in 2007 when it distributed more than $1.8-million from the 2005 Casino Simulcasting Fund during a public meeting without revealing the reasoning behind its decision.

In other business during Wednesday’s agenda meeting at Monmouth Park, the commission did not take formal action on a request from harness track Freehold Raceway for the ability to limit place and show wagers to $10,000 on both live and simulcast races.

Freehold President Donald Codey told commissioners the track has lost between $60,000 and $70,000 in minus-pool funds on several recent occasions due to large show wagers on out-of-state simulcasts of races with short fields.

In April, Dennis Dowd, then-New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority vice president of racing, told the commission of similar instances occurring at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands.

Minus-pool shortages must be paid to host tracks from the simulcast facility taking the large wagers. Commissioners said they would continue to work with the tracks on the issue.

The commission also granted a request from Harrah’s Casino Resort in Atlantic City for the construction of a 578 square-foot simulcast facility within the casino. The casino currently does not have a simulcast facility on the property.

Tom De Martini is a New Jersey-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent