The Dancer family in New Jersey has won far more battles than it ever lost. Brothers Stanley, Harold and Vernon and their father brought fame to the state and to the sport of harness racing. Now another Dancer, Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, Stanley’s son, is moving forward with racing legislation to help the Meadowlands.
Ron and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande are working on A-2507, a bill that codifies agreements between tracks and horsemen’s associations and is expected to help purses grow hugely by reducing the number of racing days.
The plan, crafted from models in Japan and Australia, also has support from Bob Mulcahy, a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s commission on gaming, sports and entertainment.
Dancer, a Republican representing Ocean, Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth counties, calls horse racing “too important to let it go away.” He says he hopes the legislation will reconfigure the sport, and he has the support of John Burzichelli, chair of the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee.
(Harness Tracks of America)