Dennis Drazin

Monmouth Park sits on 310 acres of land in Oceanport, NJ, but, as is the case with most tracks in a modern era where on-track crowds have dwindled, much of the property includes empty stands and parking lots. But that is about to change as real estate developer and horse owner Morris Bailey has unveiled plans to develop 80 acres of the property that will be used to for a 298-unit residential building, a 200-room hotel, a youth sports center and, perhaps, a concert venue. Dennis Drazin said it has...

Spurred in part by a record handle on NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes Day, Monmouth Park continued its upward trend with increases in both total and on-track handle for the fourth straight year, while jockey Paco Lopez and trainer Claudio Gonzalez were repeat winners of their respective titles as the 50-day meet came to an end on Sunday. Total average handle was $4,251,965, a 5.4% increase over last year's average of $4,032,648 during a 51-day meet. On-track handle averaged $352,939, a 3.7% increase over last year's average of $340,257. In addition,...

Edited Press Release In a pair of management moves at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, William Anderson has been named President and Chief Operating Officer and John F. Heims, Esq., will take over as General Manager in addition to his role as In-House Counsel, the track announced Saturday. "Bill and John have been an instrumental part of our management team since we began operating the racetrack back in 2012," said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, lessee and operator of Monmouth Park. "While their leadership has...

After a dozen years as lessee of Monmouth Park Racetrack, the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA), in conjunction with the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA) has transferred the racetrack, effective immediately, to Dennis Drazin's Darby Development LLC, under a new 85-year lease agreement, the track said in a release on Thursday. Darby had been the operator of the racetrack under the NJTHA and will now take full custody of the grounds with sights set on further expansion. "Let me start by thanking Governor Murphy for entrusting me,...

NYRA Bets will act as the managing vendor of New Jersey's online and mobile pari-mutuel account wagering system for horse racing under an agreement signed by Darby Development, acting as agent of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Under the agreement, all account wagering platforms will have the opportunity to enter the New Jersey market, provided those entities gain the approval of NYRA Bets, Darby Development and the New Jersey Horse Racing Commission. As a result, New Jersey residents will soon be able to choose among multiple account wagering...

Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature on Friday unanimously extended a five-year package that will grant $20 million in annual purse subsidies to the state's Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. If signed by Governor Phil Murphy as expected, the bill will infuse $10 million into Monmouth Park's purses every year through 2029. The June 28 vote was 76-0 in the Assembly and 40-0 in the Senate. "We're extremely happy that the Legislature again decided to help support the racing and breeding industries in New Jersey," said Dennis Drazin, the chairman...

Construction on a trackside sportsbook and entertainment complex began with a ceremonial groundbreaking at Monmouth Park Tuesday which featured representatives from the New Jersey racetrack, Caesars Sportsbook, and local dignitaries who planted golden shovels in the ground to mark the occasion. The state-of-the-art facility and full-service restaurant combo is set to open in 2025, featuring 16,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor sports viewing with wall-to-wall flat screen televisions, food from nationally known restaurant partner Shake Shack, and more than 25 self-service betting kiosks. "We are proud to continue investing...

A bill that would have extended annual purse subsidy payments made to New Jersey's Thoroughbred and Standardbred tracks was vetoed Wednesday by Gov. Phil Murphy. The bill called for the $20 million subsidy, which is split between the two breeds, to continue through 2029. The money has already been approved for 2024. The extension was to run from 2025 through 2029. Murphy vetoed 12 bills in all, using what is called a pocket veto. That type of veto applies only to bills sent to the governor's desk in the final...

Race caller and TVG analyst Larry Collmus, whose distinguished career includes a 20-year stint as Monmouth Park's track announcer, has been named the winner of the 2023 Bill Handleman Award for outstanding coverage of last year's GI TVG.com Haskell S. First presented in 2012, the Handleman Award honors the late Bill Handleman, one of New Jersey's top sportswriters for nearly three decades for the Asbury Park Press. Handleman, a fixture at Monmouth Park and a passionate chronicler of the sport, died in June of 2010 at the age of 62....

Fixed odds wagering at Monmouth Park last year didn't exactly break sharply from the gate. In its first run, it was available only on Monmouth races and, initially, only to on-track customers. A website that took fixed odds bets did get up and going during the meet, but regulations that would allow for bettors living outside of New Jersey to bet on fixed odds never did materialize. Handle figures were never made public, but it appeared that fixed odds accounted for only a small percentage of Monmouth's total handle. Yet,...

Long-time trainer Pat McBurney, a fixture at Monmouth Park for more than four decades and the current president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Virgil "Buddy" Raines Distinguished Achievement Award. The Raines Award, currently in its 28th year, is presented annually just prior to Monmouth Park's season opener. The track's 78th season of live racing gets underway on Saturday, May 13. "It's a tremendous honor to receive this award because of what it means to thoroughbred racing in New Jersey," said...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin Racecourse: Saturday, March 4, 2023 4th-HSN, ¥10,480,000 ($77k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m CIRCULATE (JPN) (c, 3, Curlin--Sower, by Flatter) is the first foal from his dam, a two-time stakes winner and twice placed at graded level for Len Green and...