by Carol Hodes, for the SBOA of New Jersey

Manalapan, NJ — The decision to cancel qualifying races on Thursday (August 23) was solely made by Freehold Raceway.

“We notified Freehold that we had concerns about the inconsistency of the racing surface and that we wanted to be able to evaluate the track after Thursday’s qualifiers,” said Tom Luchento, president of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, which represents horsemen in contracts and negotiations with the state’s racetracks.

“We wanted to give Freehold a chance to address our concerns,” noted Luchento. “It was solely the decision of the track’s management to cancel the qualifiers. Our concerns over the racing surface have been ongoing, and we wanted to make sure it was fit for racing when the meet opens on August 30. The horsemen competing in the 12 qualifiers would have been able to test the surface and share their insights but Freehold chose to take the position of canceling the qualifiers.”