Show Your Support For The Meadowlands

Harness racing is spiraling like a dreaded cancer. The "midwest" harness capital of the world -Chicago- started its decline years ago, owing perhaps to a closed shop. To see low level claimers racing at the Meadowlands is tragic. It's like seeing a high stakes earner racing beyond his prime. Like the world economy, NJ is facing difficult decisions in the face of funding for education, health care, infrastructure, and allocating resources to simply keep a community afloat. Few can argue with balancing decisions and priorities against a sport that has not kept pace with technology and competition. Still, harness racing can survive but this will be much more difficult if the national treasure of harness racing -THE Meadowlands- ceases to exist. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail in NJ, and support of some level of gaming (cascinos) will be allowed to maintain the center piece of the sport that we all love. NJ has already proven the unthinkable; remember Garden State?

THIS STORY IS BREAKING MY HEART. IF THE MEADOWLANDS CLOSES I AM 100% CONVINCED THAT HARNESS RACING WILL DIE BEFORE I DO. HORSE RACING LOVERS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A FEW YEARS AND NOW IT IS REALLY HAPPENING. QUEBEC, ALBERTA MICHIGAN, NEW JERSEY - LOOK OUT ONTARIO IT'S COMING HERE SOON.

Todd Morrison

Just horrendous. As an attorney, I am embarrassed to share my profession with Governor Christie. He is a poor man's Rudy Giuliani and obviously has no understanding of our industry. He thinks he can make AC a family friendly place while paying no attention to our sport. The Haughton's,Goudreau,Gags, Buddy, Garnsey and all our heroes of yesteryear are turning in their graves. It's all politics as usual in the Garden State and look what's happened....So sad!

Harness racing has killed the Meadowlands.

Slots would never have killed The Meadowlands as was mentioned by The Governor.

Betting is down and the tracks don't get enough money from off-track wagering.

Harness racing (in general) has killed the Meadowlands.Instead of making the changes this sport needed to make over the past twenty plus years, racing sat on their hands and did absolutely nothing.

Everyone fears change even for the better.
-Tracks would not make changes.
-Horsemen refused to make changes which would improve the game.
-Breeders liked things the way they were and quite frankly everyone worried about themselves.

We can blame Christie all we want but we as an industry just need to look in the mirror and see who is really responsible.

One good thing about the Meadowlands closing. It may force the industry to make the changes it has refused to make 20 years ago when The Meadowlands was the mecka for harness racing.

Now with that said for those who still don't want to change well don't let the door hit you on the way out and for those willing to change,you will survive as long as we start working together to get this sport "back on track"

I don't think it's the end of harness racing even if The Big M closes but it will be if we don't smarten up in this industry.

Word!

I think it would be very interesting to see a Meadowlands casino/racino issue put to referendum in New Jersey. Wouldn't residents be interested in such an option? Being as close to NYC as it is, I'm assuming such a move would be positive for both the state, racing and casino industry. Horse racing needs the Meadowlands Racetrack, period.

B-Mac

I just got back from spending a weekend there and the next time I make plans to go, I'm going to ask track management for an opportunity to walk the 1 mile oval during non-operational hours. It means that much to me, if they really go ahead with this ridiculous idea of closing down the shop.

Please don't let this happen. All the horsemen out west need to have hope that our industry has a future. Our racing in Alberta is hanging in by our fingernails. If the Meadowlands is'nt there it would only be a short while and all of North America Harness Racing would be doomed. It would be like relocating Hollywood.

i would not like to see the meadowlnds close as i look forward each year to visit my daughter and soninlaw. he works for vet at farms and track & when we come down for habo and other events always enjoy it. am a retierd horseman myself and have several frends there i used to go to atlantic city when down, but last few years it is so bad a area there that feel not safe to visit any more. would not miss that place at all. hope it stays open for afew more years any way--thanks

I work at The Meadowlands, as part of the Test Barn crew. If the track closes, it will be devastating to me. And if the Governor (or Dictator, as I affectionately refer to him as) wants to shut down an entire industry because he's been bought off by all the casino types in South Jersey, then he's doing nothing more than adding to NJ's already ridiculous unemployment problems. Fully 30% of the state's population is currently unemployed, one of the highest in the nation. In his mind, why not add a few tens of thousands more to that, for the sake of Atlantic City, which, is already dead and buried. It will never, ever, hold the entire market on the east coast like it once did, so why try to revive it. The state's salvation lies in The Meadowlands. A full scale casino there will not hurt Atlantic City nearly as much as it will hurt New York and Pennsylvania. All the people going to Yonkers, and the NE PA casinos still wont go to AC, cus its still twice as far away. But having the same gaming optoins 15 minutes away will keep that money in NJ, where it belongs. Its not that our Dictator has blinders on, he's just always been to blind to see that the answer to our problem lies right in front of him, and has been led to drink from a poisoned trough by the Atlantic City political bosses who have a long, and storied history in the corruption business, which, i thought, he said he would be elected with the promise to put an end to?????

B-Mac

Now we'll see if the NJ legislators will allow a governor to destroy a 30+year institution that is the Meadowlands.

I don't know a racing world without the Meadowlands; it's always been the premier track on the continent, a showcase of top horses and drivers, and the best racing around. The same stakes horses and drivers could race each other all season at tracks all over the country, but it seemed the score wasn't settled, and conclusions couldn't be drawn, until the group got to square off in East Rutherford. Maybe the facility could cut some costs, such as closing the backstretch and turning into a ship-in racetrack, and maybe there are some redundancies and largesse that could be eliminated, but it would be a shame to close the doors and relocate. The current location is so desirable it almost boggles the mind; it's easily accessible for the population of Manhattan, serviced by public transport and aesthetically pleasing. Plus it has history. It's always been the show. I hate to think of it shutting down.

I have a dream to race a horse at the meadowlands so Just dont close but i guess we arent as fortunate here to have our government to help support us.

This is just another example of what's wrong with the state of New Jersey. As a lifelong resident that couldn't afford to live there anymore, this is just the reason.

All you need to do is look what gaming at the racetracks in the surrounding states (New York, Pa and Delaware) to see the inpact on the residents. Lowering the taxes, closing budget holes and supporting local business. Not to mention the protection of farmland. The results of this will have far reaching negative impact of the residents and the state.

Not allowing gaming is the states racetracks WILL NOT increase business in Atlantic City. If you live in North Jersey why would you travel over an hour when you can go to New York in 15 minutes. Southern New Jersey Residents have already proved this true. They cross over to Pa or Delaware where the gaming and racing is thriving. Look at the fields at Chester and Pocono. The are stronger the the Meadowlands.

Now here is where the horsemen in New Jersey fail. The should have brought all this to the attention of the public. go to where the people are, the average person doesn't care about racing but you show them how supporting the industry and gaming in the tracks will help them with thier taxes, they will get on board. the taxes are the main complaint of the residents.

And don't kid yourself...this is a major blow to Harness Racing that may never recover....

You may be right: Canadian 'harness racing industry' seems to have a huge stake in THE Meadowlands.
Sadly,the Canadian 'harness racing industry' did not have a big enough stake in Montreal, Calgary/Edmonton, Vancouver,Winnipeg, along with the many other contributing tracks across Canada that have been forced to shutter their stakes in harness racing, eh!

CN had NJ, woohoo. Even the MMighty fall!

While it will be a shame to possibly lose the historically premier Harness track in the US. I must admit that the SB owners response is somewhat overstated. Many of the large training farms contain quality horses that race at all venues throughout the Northeast. Chester, Yonkers, Pocono etc. so they will not just evaporate.The nurseries sell horses all across the US not just NJ. Will there be major impact? Yes, but not to the extent the owners claim.My hope is that cooler heads prevail and people will see the potential opportunity to reinvent racing in NJ.The physical plant at the Meds has to be a nightmare to maintain finacially for the number of patrons that actually walk through the door. (Other than 2-3 days a year)I really hope things work out.

I have the good fortune to travel to The Meadowlands several times each year to attend the races and other industry related events. I cannot imagine a reason to visit that area without the lure of The M. These recent developments are clearly a direct result of special interest influence and political agenda. The good of the commonwealth has descended too far down the list, I fear.