Manalapan, NJ – The Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) will be officially conducting its 2025 Economic Horse Racing Impact Survey. Completion of this survey is mandatory for all New Jersey harness racing trainers, to ensure the industry continues to receive vital state backing.
Data collection is a statutory necessity tied directly to the state’s five-year, $100 million purse appropriation program. Lawmakers require annual economic impact reporting to prove that the state’s investment successfully stimulates the local economy, preserves open space, and generates substantial tax revenue. Past data collection efforts directly helped the SBOANJ, TrotPAC, and industry advocates successfully restore and protect the full $20 million annual purse supplement in the state 2027 budget.
“Our annual state funding relies entirely on our ability to prove the immense economic footprint of harness racing in the Garden State,” said Mark Ford, President of the SBOANJ. “Every single submission acts as evidence to lawmakers that our industry supports thousands of agricultural jobs, local vendors, and family farms. Failing to participate puts our collective future and our purse supplements at direct risk.”
The 2025 survey compiles critical data regarding capital expenditures, annual payroll, local vendor spending, equine populations, and land conservation impacts.
The SBOANJ will be reaching out to all NJ trainers for help completing these surveys participation is crucial to our industries continued growth.