New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

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,...

As someone who worked tirelessly throughout his career to promote New Jersey racing, first as a trainer then as a horsemen's rep, John Forbes no doubt would have liked what's being offered Saturday at the Far Hills hunt meet in the race named in his honor.  The John Forbes Memorial is worth $100,000, has attracted an evenly matched field of 14 and, run at two miles on the flat, is at a distance that makes it a handicapping puzzle. The Forbes Memorial is among the highlights on a card that...

A memorial service to celebrate the life of trainer and horsemen's advocate John H. Forbes will be held Saturday, September 25 at Monmouth Park's Turf Club from 2 to 5 p.m. Forbes, the longtime head of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and perennial top trainer at Monmouth, passed away this January. Anyone wishing to honor John's memory is welcome at the service.

Darby Development CEO and Monmouth Park Operator Dennis Drazin issued the following statement Friday regarding the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act: As Chairman and CEO of Monmouth Park Racetrack and as counsel and advisor to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA), I am pleased to announce Monmouth Park's support for the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act. I had the opportunity to listen carefully to the press conference at Keeneland where Senator Mitch McConnell announced his support for this historic legislation designed to improve the integrity and safety...

The planned return of autumn Thoroughbred racing on both dirt and turf at the Meadowlands will have to wait for another year. The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA) and track management at the Meadowlands have come to a mutual decision not to convert the facility's main dirt track from a Standardbred to a Thoroughbred setup for 19 already-allotted Friday and Saturday dates between Oct. 2 and Dec. 5. Under an agreement reached last year, dual-surface Thoroughbred racing was to be conducted at the Meadowlands for the first time since...

The United States Supreme Court on Monday opted not to get involved in a years-long court dispute over whether the major professional and college sports leagues owe the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA) $150 million in alleged damages. The Associated Press reported that the case now goes back to a federal court in New Jersey, where a judge will consider evidence from both sides and decide how much the leagues have to pay. Some $3.4 million in potential damages had been escrowed in 2014 when the four major U.S....