by Carol Hodes, for Team JC

Allentown, NJ — Election Day is Tuesday (Nov. 8) and whether voting “blue” or “red,” horsemen are urging New Jerseyans to support Ballot Question 1 and keep the “green” in the Garden State.

In the ninth episode of ”Fika with Jonas,” trainer Jonas Czernyson makes an appeal to voters to support the expansion of gaming to two new casinos in North Jersey from which a portion of the revenue will benefit horse racing.

Czernyson and his wife, Christine, have made a commitment to New Jersey with the purchase of Millstream Farm in Allentown, where they hope to breed future champions. But farms and training centers are pulling up stakes and moving to casino-enriched states.

“Billions are being wagered by New Jerseyans at casinos in neighboring states,” said Czernyson. “We need to recapture the gaming dollars to benefit all New Jersey residents, including the horsemen.

“We need to bring the money back to New Jersey. Approving the ballot question would help to preserve 15,000 horse-related jobs and bring another 40,000 jobs to the state as well as $500 million in annual revenue. It’s important for the preservation of horse farms, which represent nearly 25 percent of the state’s agricultural land.”

Fika is the Swedish word for a coffee break, and Swedish-born trainer Jonas Czernyson, who is stabled at Winners Training Center in Chesterfield, N.J., is the star of the monthly series produced and hosted by Cody Bach Productions.

Questions and comments may be sent to Christine and Jonas Czernyson through the Team JC Stable page on Facebook, @teamjcstable on Twitter or by e-mail to info@teamjc.net.

To view the video, click on this link.