Recent developments have the future looking brighter at The Meadowlands, with renewed optimism in the New Jersey legislature on the possibility of a casino coming to the property.
"With the deadline for New York to award the three downstate casino licenses by the end of 2025 looming and a push to get casino gaming at The Meadowlands manifesting, we now have an excellent chance of having a temporary casino as early as 2027 and a permanent one in place by 2028," stated a press release issued by the East Rutherford, New Jersey racetrack on Thursday, July 24.
In anticipation of the casino push in 2026, the unity between The Meadowlands and the Standardbred Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) has been reaffirmed by a freshly inked two-year contract that increases the track’s support of the horsemen in several ways.
As part of the details in the new contract, The Meadowlands has agreed to add 12 racing days to the existing 2025 live racing schedule to compensate for the loss of Freehold Raceway dates and will fund any shortfalls this year and next in the health and welfare pool so that the horsemen racing in New Jersey are able to maintain their health insurance without interruption.
The Meadowlands will also fund the $500,000 USD purse account shortfall resulting from the increase in the tax on online sports betting as well as funding the negotiated cost of sports betting revenue that was legislated to be appropriated to Thoroughbred purses, which is $1 million USD annually for 2025 and 2026.
"Our joint mission is to bridge into the casino era with strength, continuing the course that The Meadowlands has charted since the early days as the centerpiece for Grand Circuit stakes. The stakes that produce champions, make stallions and sell yearlings. Imagine those stakes racing for two, maybe three times the current purse levels," stated the track's press release. "To accomplish this goal, to bridge until the cavalry comes, will take a village. The Meadowlands will need the support of all those who wish to perpetuate racing’s greatest stage and compete at the highest level."
Meadowlands President Jeff Gural has pledged to match 50 per cent of the revenue raised from the plan listed below in the hopes of raising stakes purses by increasing the money added to stakes by the racetrack by $500,000 USD with no increase to the payments in 2026.
In appreciation of the efforts made toward this initiative, the Stallion Restriction Condition (Gural rule) will be waived for those stallions nominated to the plan listed below.
The following payments must be made for the horses to be eligible for nomination to Meadowlands stakes at ages two and three, and all existing nominating and sustaining payments will still be required for the horse to be eligible for the stakes.
Stallion owners/syndicates:
Stallion owners are asked to pay the equivalent of one half of the cost of an annual breeding for any stallion whose yearly fee is $5,000 USD and higher. Horses standing in Canada will have their annual breeding fee adjusted to the USD equivalent. Horses standing outside North America are exempt. Stallions with no fee listed will be addressed on a case by case basis.
This amount must be paid by Sept. 1, 2025, so that potential yearling buyers will be aware if the sire of a potential purchase is nominated to Meadowlands 2026 stakes when buying at the commercial yearling sales. Since most stallion syndicates have 120 shareholders, the cost per shareholder would be between $25 USD to $150 USD.
Breeders, nominators, buyers and owners:
Any horse by a sire who has been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) that is sold at a commercial sale as a yearling (foals of 2024) for a price of $25,000 USD and higher will be required to make a $500 USD payment on Feb. 15, 2026, to gain eligibility to Meadowlands stakes for two-year-olds in 2026 and three-year-olds in 2027.
Any horse by a sire who has been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) that is sold at a commercial sale as a yearling (foals of 2024) for a price of less than $25,000 USD will require no February payment to be eligible to be nominated to Meadowlands stakes for two-year-olds in 2026 and three-year-olds in 2027.
Any homebred (foals of 2024) by a sire who has been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) will be required to make a $500 USD payment on Feb. 15, 2026, to gain eligibility to Meadowlands stakes for two-year-olds in 2026 and three-year-olds in 2027.
Any homebred or breeder buy back from a commercial sale (foals of 2024) by a sire who has not been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) will be required to make a $1,000 USD payment on Feb. 15, 2026, to gain eligibility to Meadowlands stakes for two-year-olds in 2026 and three-year-olds in 2027.
The above Feb. 15 payment will make the horse eligible to be nominated to:
- Meadowlands two-year-old stakes: NJ Classics, Kindergarten and Freshman Fall Final Four;
- Meadowlands three-year-old stakes: Meadowlands Pace, Silverman Memorial, Dancer Memorial, Miller Memorial, NJ Classics, Cane Pace, Shady Daisy, Dexter Cup, Lady Suffolk and all Reynolds and Tompkins-Geers stakes raced at The Meadowlands.
Only those two-year-olds paid into Meadowlands stakes will be eligible for nomination to Meadowlands three-year-old stakes and to race in the two-year-old baby races.
Payments on Meadowlands stakes for two-year-olds will be pushed back to start on March 15 and adjusted accordingly.
This proposal will be reconsidered for 2027, and revision is possible.
Gural spoke to the near future: “I have a total commitment toward getting a referendum in N.J. passed next year that would allow casino gambling at the Meadowlands and only the Meadowlands.
“Using the same formula for the purse account as the states that have racinos would mean an estimated $60 million [USD] to be shared with Monmouth, which is $33 million [USD] more than The Meadowlands and Monmouth currently receive in state grants, including the additional $7 million [USD] we were able to get included in this year’s budget for operating expenses.
“I would expect that we would try to race three days a week, and we would have an additional $16 million [USD] available for purses and breeder awards. I am basing this estimate on the revenue at Yonkers, but truthfully, I think that The Meadowlands is in a better location and will generate greater revenue for racing.
“Once that happens, we will no longer need the financial support from stallion owners or yearling purchasers as we now do; however, at this point, I think it’s only fair that we all chip in to keep the stakes program going at the Meadowlands at a high level until we are awarded a license.
“It is my hope the industry will be supportive, which will ultimately result in considerably higher purses for our 2026 Grand Circuit stakes. Had I not stepped up in 2013 to keep the Governor from closing The Meadowlands, I seriously doubt that the sport would be in the same position. I know personally as a breeder and yearling buyer I would have had no interest in continuing without The Meadowlands.”
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)