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New Jersey’s horse racing knee-deep in issues

Posted on August 3rd, 2010

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More than a week now since the Hansen Report went public but the leaders of the harness racing industry of New Jersey are still clueless on what to do with the time-bomb that threatens devastation of Meadowlands horse racing industry. It can be recalled that Governor Chris Christie favorably accepted the Hansen Report which, if implemented, would shutdown one of the world’s famous harness racing tracks and New Jersey’s cash cow.

The said report recommended that that state government folds up the Meadowlands race track and objected earlier proposals of horsemen and bettors to put up slot machines similar to its competitors in New York and Pennsylvania. Instead, the report endorsed for the state government to take over the casino district in Atlantic City and pour more resources to Xanadu. It further suggested to abandon Standardbred racing from the Meadowlands track and the facility to be confined to a reasonable 5,000-seat track of its own.

The Hansen Report was allegedly backed by anti-racing groups from Trenton and Atlantic City who seemed very happy of the Governor’s support. Andrew Cohen, an online columnist at Harnesslink, writes about the harness racing industry leaders’ confusion and the lack of concerted action to counter the plan. “They are still scrambling to come up with a coherent, coordinated and sustained response to the hammer blow”, Cohen observed. Cohen pointed out that the issue of horse racing in New Jersey is a political and economic one but New Jersey leaders are ill-equipped and unprepared to fight on those terms. “There was no rapid response in place to counter the thrust of the state’s argument against racing. There was no face of the industry on television and radio”, he added.

Another columnist, Jerry Ijenberg of NJ.com, lamented that the issue “goes beyond the horrific economics in this time and in this state. It is rooted in years of racing indolence, Atlantic City arrogance, politicians who believe they are in office to be re-elected, regional political chauvinism and a string of governors without a clue”. Ijenberg commented that the report was tailored to fit Governor Christie and the Atlantic City’s lobbyists’ agenda. “The recent report on the status of Sodom-by-the-Sea and Racing-by-the-Swamp has some reasonable suggestions. But bear in mind that when the governor—any governor—wants a report, those reporting now what he wants and are there to see that he gets it”, writes Ijenberg.

However, despite a clear and present danger of their industry’s oblivion, New Jersey’s leaders have not done much with counter-arguments. There were only some press releases, a few column articles and website discussions. But the utter lack of a unified public response to challenge the state’s plans and arguments was blindingly apparent. Some want harness racing and thoroughbred racing at Monmouth Park.

Others want people involved in harness racing to run the Meadowlands track without state support. Yet, ordinary Meadowlands fans bewail on the possible future of the harness race track. “Where else could you find the best racing facility around, just over the bridge from Manhattan? ,” many of the race fans would say. “We can be the No. 1 casino in the United States, and we’re being overlooked for political reasons. It makes no sense. It’s a no-brainer. It’s a home run with the bases loaded five times over”, says George Anthony, a trainer, handicapper and announcer at Meadowlands.

Cohen thinks New Jersey needs immediate help on smart public relations. “It needs better lobbying work—and fast. It needs better communications and coordination with its constituencies. And most of all it needs a plan”, he further writes. Cohen toyed on a simple idea of lowering taxes in Jersey to make the racino business more competitive and attractive to investors. But he argued that even a simple message as that is not easy to spread if the state’s taxpayers and officials get used to the idea of a state without the Standardbred industry.

Despite New Jersey’s dilemma, 45,000 people flocked at Monmouth Part for the Haskell, a record-breaking feat for the most attendance and highest betting this year. Harness racing supports a 780 million dollar industry in New Jersey, a life-blood many think the state government is bent to sap by implementing the recommendations of the Hansen Report.