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Lucrative Monmouth meeting generating buzz

Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 4:15 PM

MONMOUTH PARK

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo

by Tom De Martini

Great expectations and guarded optimism surround Saturday’s opening of Monmouth Park’s 50-day elite summer meeting, which will award $1-million per day in purses and has attracted many of the sport’s top horsemen and jockeys.

Anticipation was palpable on Tuesday during a press conference at the Oceanport, New Jersey, racetrack, which will feature the highest purse structure in the country after officials, horsemen, and politicians agreed to a one-year deal that sliced live racing dates to 71 and eliminated Thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands.

“It’s been a long time since there’s been this much buzz.” Kulina said. “This is not the last stand for New Jersey. It’s the beginning of a bright future. This is the position that we need to be in.”

A total of $12.1-million in stakes purses at the high end and a $30,000 purse for $5,000 claiming races at the low end has prompted trainers from New York, California, and Kentucky to summer at the New Jersey shore.

Kulina said structures have been tweaked to pay $1,500 to each starter, up from 1% of total purse. As a result, winners receive 55% of total purse, down from 60%

“It’s expensive to run and ship. People want nine and ten-horse fields to bet on, and this will make it easier for owners and trainers to cover expenses,” he said. “If we can get field sizes up a horse or a 1.5-horses, that would be great.”

Monmouth’s less-is-more experiment is contingent upon increased daily wagering handle. Kulina is hopeful that all-sources handle, which weighed in at $3.3-million per day last year, will rise to at least $4.2-million during the meeting and possibly reach $5-million. Attendance, which sank to an average of 6,949, is expected to rise about 20%.

“There are a lot of unknowns, but the upside is huge,” Kulina said. “California is taking seven races a day from us this year, which is a first, and TVG is broadcasting live here every day.”

Kulina noted that running 12 races per day enables track staff to move rails on the turf course during the course of the card, giving the racing office flexibility.

Competition on the backstretch will be stiff with Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winning trainer Todd Pletcher joined by fellow New Yorkers Kiaran McLaughlin, Bruce Levine, Nick Zito and Richard Violette Jr.

A contingent of California trainers stabled locally includes Robert Hess Jr., Mike Mitchell, Peter Miller, and Michael Machowsky. Woodbine-based Scott Fairlie, Patrick Biancone, and many Mid-Atlantic-based conditioners received stall space on the Monmouth backstretch.

Many longtime Monmouth-based horsemen are not thrilled with the increased competition and a shorter meeting, New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President John Forbes said.

“There’s mixed reaction but this [meet] is a statement and not a challenge to other jurisdictions with alternative gaming. The impact of the meet will tell if we can obtain proper funding, so we can continue this bold experiment,” Forbes said.

Saturday's opening card drew 148 entries scattered for 13 races. Highlighting opening day will be the $100,000 Elkwood Stakes and $100,000 Decathlon Stakes.

The Elkwood, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for three-year-olds and older, drew multiple Grade 3 winner Kiss the Kid. The seven-year-old trained by Amy Tarrant most recently finished second in the Ben Ali Stakes (G3) on April 18 at Keeneland Race Course.

Mr. Fantasy, the 2009 Withers Stakes (G3) winner, will contest the Decathlon, a six-furlong race for three-year-olds and older. The four-year-old trained by Michael Hushion finished second in the Bily Redcoat Stakes on April 21 at Aqueduct in his most recent start.

Saturday’s 13-race card kicks off a three-day racing schedule of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus the Monday holidays of Memorial Day, July 5, and Labor Day, with a 12:50 p.m. EDT first post through September 6.

Twilight cards are slated for several Fridays—July 9, 16 and 23—with 12-race cards beginning at 2:10 p.m. EDT in order to better capture the West Coast simulcasting market, Kulina said.

The meet’s signature event, the $1-million Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), is scheduled for Sunday, August 1 and will be carried live by ABC Sports.

Racing will continue on Saturdays and Sundays from September 11 through October 31 with a reduced purse structure.

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