The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey has commented on the announced cancellation of the Governor’s Cup and Three Diamonds stakes.

The Meadowlands Racetrack announced on Tuesday (Feb. 5) that it has been forced to cancel the 2019 editions of the juvenile stakes events. Meadowlands Racetrack operator Jeff Gural that the 2019 editions of the Governor’s Cup and Three Diamonds can be raced if sufficient sponsorship is found, or else they will be cancelled for 2019. To read the contents of the Meadowlands’ announcement, click here.

The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey’s release on the subject states that the SBOANJ had not been notified of the cancellations prior to the Meadowlands’ announcement.

The contents of the SBOANJ release appear below.

Yesterday the Meadowlands cancelled the Governor’s Cup and the Three Diamonds, fall races for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies, respectively, with nominations due next week on February 15.

The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) had not been notified of these cancellations prior to the announcement, and to clarify the Meadowlands release, while the $6 million earmarked for the Meadowlands from the proposed New Jersey state $10 million appropriation cannot be used for stakes events, that is not the case for the minimum of $1 million guaranteed to be received from sports betting revenues as that would be part of the general purse account, and can, in fact, be used for stakes and added money events.

The $4 million balance of the purse allocation will be directed to Freehold overnight purses and the New Jersey Sire Stakes and other breeding related programs.

The SBOA plans to communicate this to the Meadowlands for further discussion, with the hope that these two important events can be reinstated.

(SBOANJ)