Landmark Freehold Raceway to cease operations at end of year; no word on future plans for site

Posted by Admin September 19, 2024 Horse Racing

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Freehold Borough Mayor Kevin Kane said Freehold Raceway management told employees in an emergency meeting Thursday moring that the track will cease operations Dec. 28, possibly bringing the end to harness racing that has taken place at the site since the 1850s.

Kane said it was learned management will not apply to hold any future racing dates.

A request has been made to track management for comment.

“We’re blindsided here,” Kane said. “We’ve had not contact with them about this. We tried to do things in the past, different and stuff, contacted (general manager) Howard Bruno and people in the track to do things, and they really expressed no interest in promoting it. They haven’t done anything, in my opinion.”

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Freehold Raceway’s business has trended down

The track is owned by Pennwood, with stakes held by Penn Entertainment and Greenwood. In 1999, the first year of Pennwood’s ownership, Freehold Raceway had a gross handle was $64.3 million over 90 days of racing, with an on-track handle of $18.6, according to data in the New Jersey Racing Commission’s annual report.

Now it’s unclear what will become of the property.

“I was born and raised in Freehold Borough,” Kane said. “I grew up with the horses, worked as a groom a couple of summers while in high school. . I would love to see it remain a racetrack. It’s going to have residual effects throughout the area. You already see many of the big farms sold off to developers. The horse racing industry is having a rough go of it , but from a town perspective we want to know what is best for the town, for that property.

“What we’re going to do is authorize a redevelopment study make and sure we get a handle on it. It’s a similar situation with the Nestle plant. We authorized redevelopment study so we can control what happens there, and make sure we know what’s best for this town.”

Freehold is scheduled to run 33 more days of racing this year through Dec. 28, racing Thursday, Friday and Saturday until Oct. 12, before running Fridays and Saturdays through the end of the year. Saturday’s card at Freehold features 12 races, anchored by the $60,000 Renaissance, with total purse money of $159,700.

“It’s really sad. I’ve been coming here for 40 years,” said Alan Zucker of Southg Brunswick. “It’s awful. I think the young people stopped going, that’s what happened. You go to the track now you don’t see any 20-year-olds. When I used to go when I was younger it was packed with young kids. It changed with [poker, the casinos, all of this. I think that’s what happened.

“A lot of people losing their jobs. A lot of people I know are horse trainers or work here. I guess I’m going to have to find somewhere else.”

In 2023, the track had a gross handle of $13.78 million over 42 days, with an on-track handle of $1.25 million.

While all racetracks in the state have been eligible to open a sportsbook since sports betting was legalized in 2018, Freehold didn’t open its sportsbook until late 2020. The track then closed the sportsbook last month as football season was about to begin.

The NJRC annual report shows Freehold receiving a distribution of $1.56 million from offtrack and account wagering in 2023. Freehold Raceway has two off-track wagering facilities – Favorites in Toms River had a total handle of $19.8 million last year, compared to $24.2 million in 2019; Favorites in Gloucester has seen its handle fall from $16.01 million in 2019 to $14.02 in 2023.

Freehold Raceway through the years

December 1853 – Monmouth County Agriculture Society was formed to hold an annual fair with harness racing in the Township of Freehold. Annual Membership fee would be $1.00 and one-time payment of $10 would permit a person to be a life member. It has been researched that racing was held at the same site as early as the 1830’s.

1854 – Society rents a 10-acre plot of land from Hudson Bennett for a sum of $50 a year. That land is currently the site of Freehold Raceway. The first fair meet after expenses showed a balance of $286.06.

1863 – A trotter named George M. Patchen, the “Pride of Monmouth County”, set the world record for trotting-under-saddle with a two-mile mark of 4:56 at age 14.

December 1895 – 52 local men held a meeting and formed the Freehold Driving Club, leasing the track for $174 a year. The club held frequent trotting meetings and trials on the track until 1902, when the Freehold Driving Club was incorporated and purchased the grounds for $4,500. At this time, a golf course was also developed on the grounds.

1960 – Fred Fatzler sells Freehold Raceway to Harold and Bernard Sampson of Milwaukee for a reported $5,000,000. After racing steadily for nearly 14 years, slowly increasing the number of racing days each season, Freehold grew in popularity, featuring the best drivers and horses in the sport. On August 11, 1962 a record crowd of 13,206 patrons wagered $758,719. The meet ended that year with total wagering at a record $25,152,981.

1965 – Gibraltar Pari-Mutuel of Canada buys Freehold Raceway from Harold and Bernard Sampson for a reported $8,000.000.

May 4, 1984 – Freehold Raceway grandstand and dining room is destroyed by an early evening fire caused by an electrical short in an odds board.

Sept. 25, 1990 – Kenneth Fischer, owner of local Gaitway Farm in Englishtown, NJ, becomes the first harness horse owner to own the track in 30 years.

Dec. 13, 1994 – International Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., parent company of Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, NJ, announces that it has exercised an option to purchase Freehold Raceway for $23 million.

Jan. 29, 1999 – Freehold Raceway is purchased for $46 million by Pennwood Racing. Pennwood is a partnership between Penn Gaming and Greenwood Racing.

Source: Freehold Raceway