Four big, bold standardbreds from northern New Jersey will soon head down the New Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia and no, they’re not shipping to Chester from the Meadowlands

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The horses in question, four geldings that have been fighting crime with the Newark Police Department, will soon become members of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Mounted Unit. All were former racehorses and all were adopted from the Standardbred Retirement Foundation: Broadway Kevin (1:56, $30,710), Artistic Art (1:54, $34,523), Seelster Sam N (1:55.4, $259,449) and American Yankee (1:56.4, $117,183).

The changes come on the heels of the imminent closure of Newark’s 120-year-old unit, the victim of a budget crisis. Retired, not transferred, will be the unit’s leader, Lieutenant Robert Marelli. Marelli has been instrumental in selecting retired standardbreds for the unit, so much so that nearly every one of the unit’s 16-horse stable was standardbreds.

“They’re putting me out to pasture, too,” Marelli told the Associated Press. Marelli says the Mounted Unit was, “a very busy unit, a very productive unit.” Marelli is happy to see the horses procure a new job, however. “It’s a godsend,” he said. “I can’t feel too bad about it, because the horses are being put to good use.”

Philadelphia had an equine division as recently as 2004, when it closed for budgetary reasons after 32 years. The horses are expected to be stabled in nearby Chester County until the Philadelphia Mounted Unit is ready to be deployed.

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This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.