Stevie Belmont
03-09-2010, 04:07 PM
The end of thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands has come—for the time being anyway. The powers that be have decided that converting the Meadowlands harness track to a thoroughbred track is not worth the time, energy, and most importantly the money.
In recent years it has been no secret that the Meadowlands was in jeopardy of discontinuing the thoroughbred racing meet due to cost and other reasons. It seemed every year there was a rumor in the air that this would be the last year of thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands.
The bottom line is this—it just does not make sense to convert the track for thoroughbred racing from harness racing. Instead New Jersey will have a shortened meet at Monmouth Park starting May 22, and will run through September 11, with $50 million in purse money spread over the 50-day meet. The planned days of racing will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I love Monmouth Park, and I think the potential of success is there for sure. I have always considered Monmouth Park my other home track.
Does thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands really have to come to a complete end? I say the answer is no. The Meadowlands still has a fine turf course that will go completely unused.
I propose the state of New Jersey run a shortened Meadowlands turf thoroughbred meet after the Monmouth Park meet ends. Now this may not at all be possible this year, considering the racing dates have already been decided, but down the road this could be a feasible idea.
There are more pros, than cons with a Meadowlands Turf meet. By the time September comes around , the Monmouth Park turf course will have taken some good wear and tear. The Meadowlands turf course will have been untouched for the entire year. And aside from normal maintenance of the turf course, no conversion will be necessary, thus saving money. It’s there and it’s ready to be used.
By having a Meadowlands turf meet they can also save some of the fall staple stakes races such as the Cliffhanger (GIII) and the Violet Stakes (GIII), which always draw large fields. The tradition of the Grey Ghost handicap on or around Halloween can also live on. Turf racing always draws large fields and shippers from the New York and the Mid-Atlantic States. Full fields will almost be assured.
How long would a Meadowlands Turf meet last, and when would it start? I think an ideal time for a Meadowlands turf meet would be Labor Day through the end of the month, or sometime in October. These are questions that would have to be worked out, but I think it’s something that should at the very least be explored. I for one love turf racing and everything about it. Other possible issues would be rain—how to handle weather situations is something that would have to be looked into.
A short turf meet would be nice—running Friday and Saturday under the lights. By having a turf meet they could also find a way to save the Meadowlands biggest races—the Meadowlands Cup and/or the Pegasus—however, they would now become turf events.
The entire concept is quality over quantity. If New Jersey takes a look at this they could very well find a new niche at the Meadowlands for thoroughbreds—a short, but high quality turf meet in the fall—or late summer that will attract many horsemen. A smart marketing campaign to promote this shorter but higher quality turf meet would also have to be explored.
Hopefully the new Monmouth Park meet with boosted purses and fewer dates will be a big success and New Jersey will have a premiere racing venue in the summer—making Monmouth Park thee place to be this spring and summer. I think it has every opportunity to become a success especially with the issues currently facing the NYRA. The time is right.
I also think a short turf meet at the Meadowlands could be a success. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly fine turf course.
In recent years it has been no secret that the Meadowlands was in jeopardy of discontinuing the thoroughbred racing meet due to cost and other reasons. It seemed every year there was a rumor in the air that this would be the last year of thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands.
The bottom line is this—it just does not make sense to convert the track for thoroughbred racing from harness racing. Instead New Jersey will have a shortened meet at Monmouth Park starting May 22, and will run through September 11, with $50 million in purse money spread over the 50-day meet. The planned days of racing will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I love Monmouth Park, and I think the potential of success is there for sure. I have always considered Monmouth Park my other home track.
Does thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands really have to come to a complete end? I say the answer is no. The Meadowlands still has a fine turf course that will go completely unused.
I propose the state of New Jersey run a shortened Meadowlands turf thoroughbred meet after the Monmouth Park meet ends. Now this may not at all be possible this year, considering the racing dates have already been decided, but down the road this could be a feasible idea.
There are more pros, than cons with a Meadowlands Turf meet. By the time September comes around , the Monmouth Park turf course will have taken some good wear and tear. The Meadowlands turf course will have been untouched for the entire year. And aside from normal maintenance of the turf course, no conversion will be necessary, thus saving money. It’s there and it’s ready to be used.
By having a Meadowlands turf meet they can also save some of the fall staple stakes races such as the Cliffhanger (GIII) and the Violet Stakes (GIII), which always draw large fields. The tradition of the Grey Ghost handicap on or around Halloween can also live on. Turf racing always draws large fields and shippers from the New York and the Mid-Atlantic States. Full fields will almost be assured.
How long would a Meadowlands Turf meet last, and when would it start? I think an ideal time for a Meadowlands turf meet would be Labor Day through the end of the month, or sometime in October. These are questions that would have to be worked out, but I think it’s something that should at the very least be explored. I for one love turf racing and everything about it. Other possible issues would be rain—how to handle weather situations is something that would have to be looked into.
A short turf meet would be nice—running Friday and Saturday under the lights. By having a turf meet they could also find a way to save the Meadowlands biggest races—the Meadowlands Cup and/or the Pegasus—however, they would now become turf events.
The entire concept is quality over quantity. If New Jersey takes a look at this they could very well find a new niche at the Meadowlands for thoroughbreds—a short, but high quality turf meet in the fall—or late summer that will attract many horsemen. A smart marketing campaign to promote this shorter but higher quality turf meet would also have to be explored.
Hopefully the new Monmouth Park meet with boosted purses and fewer dates will be a big success and New Jersey will have a premiere racing venue in the summer—making Monmouth Park thee place to be this spring and summer. I think it has every opportunity to become a success especially with the issues currently facing the NYRA. The time is right.
I also think a short turf meet at the Meadowlands could be a success. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly fine turf course.