Flemington, NJ — On Sunday (Dec. 6), Mark Ford, president of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, additional members of the SBOA board, and a number of the harness racing industry’s owners, drivers, trainers, and breeders participated in a zoom call with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy. The call was hosted by Mike Gulotta of Deo Volente Farms who is also a member of the Murphy for Governor 2021 campaign finance committee.

New Jersey horsemen participated in a zoom call with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Photo courtesy of the author.

At the open of the call, Mike Gulotta thanked the Governor for recognizing the importance of our industry and the need for the Purse Appropriation Legislation that the Governor signed into law in February of 2019. He also applauded the Governor for his continued support even through the extremely difficult time we have been facing during the coronavirus pandemic. He pointed out that continuity into the future of the purse appropriation was essential to the health of our industry. The Governor agreed.

Joe Savare, Director of Business operations for Deo Volente Farms, then had the opportunity to mention some of the salient points highlighted in a report on the positive benefits of the purse appropriation that was done by ESI Consultants.

Some of these highlights include:

– The horse racing and breeding industry in New Jersey supports close to $1.1 billion of economic activity in the state.
– After four years of steady decline in wagering across the three New Jersey horse racing tracks, 2019 saw an increase of more than $50 million in wagering, or an 11.8 percent increase.
– After several years of decline in the number of horses participating at New Jersey horse racing tracks, 2019 saw an increase of 1,763 horses compared to 2018, an increase of 9.1 percent.
– There were also positive impacts on the breeding programs. The number of Standardbred mares bred in New Jersey has steadily increased from a low of 74 in 2014 to 780 in 2020. In fact, from 2018 to 2020 there was an increase from 435 to 780, or an increase of 79.3 percent.
– The number of stallions standing in New Jersey doubled from 2018 to 2019 from seven to 14.

The meeting was then opened up for questions and Sam Landy of Congress Hill Farm asked, “We envision the Meadowlands complex as a world-famous sports and entertainment destination. We are advocates for our beloved horse racing industry. We must also be advocates for the concept of an entertainment, shopping, dining and sports destination center that will have no rival in the world. As part of the new infrastructure projects for the state, can the Meadowlands be included with plans for a world class casino, or at minimum, the addition of historic race wagering at the racetrack?”

In response the Governor said he “loved the idea of historic race wagering and the time is right to begin meeting with the appropriate members of his staff to get the project moving in the right direction.”

Savare then asked the Governor “What is your view on the likelihood that the purse appropriation will be continued into the future?”

To which Governor Murphy responded, “My feeling is, if we were able to continue it this year in the face of all of the adversity we have had amidst a global pandemic, I don’t see any reason why it would not continue moving forward.”

Yannick Gingras pointed out that breeders, as well as drivers and trainers, need certainty that the purse appropriation would continue into the future and he was pleased to hear the Governor’s reassuring remarks in that regard.

Ford went on to once again thank the Governor. He said, “without your support we don’t know where we would be, or if we would still be around for that matter.”

He also pointed out the broader implications and importance of the Governor’s support to our industry not just in New Jersey but also in all of North America.

Governor Murphy recognized the “tremendous return on investment” the state is seeing with the purse appropriation, and he is optimistic that the positive impact it is having in the state will continue for the foreseeable future. Murphy also thanked the group for its continued support of him and his administration. He re-emphasized that our being there for him before the primary election in 2017 and now again was a “big deal” for him.

The call with the Governor lasted approximately one hour and was viewed by participants as highly beneficial to our industry.