Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Yuck, Politics

“It is a step in the right direction, but still falls short.” Is a phrase I think of often when I read about all the politics behind NJ racing. To chronicle all the problems this state has as it tries to save both its standard bred and thoroughbred programs, is too much to put in this little blog…but the long and short of it is that we need to increase purses to be competitive with the states around us. NY of course is the Major league and NJ has always been AAA (to use a baseball analogy)….while Delaware and PA were AA and A respectively. PA now in my opinion is quickly catching up since the additions of Racino’s. Their purses have sky rocketed and at the way they are growing, could be the model program in the United States.

In order for Jersey to compete we need another means of revenue. Since Atlantic City brings in so much tax revenue for the state (and half the state is corrupt) they have been paying blood money for the horseman of New Jersey not to pursue slots. They have recently said no more. In 2011 NJ purses will not longer be supplemented by Atlantic City’s money….purses would fall to nearly half the current level of 330,000 per day. It would devastate the industry.

Well recently the Governor of NJ said he would form a blue ribbon panel to investigate alternatives. Terrific, one minor problem, he did not name anyone to represent the Thoroughbred Breeders on this panel. There is a person who is in charge of the Racing interests but to say his interests align with the breeders is not correct. He is motivate to get the purses as high as possible, even if it means taking money that was usually set aside for the breeders program and throwing those into the purses.

With nobody looking out for the farm interests I fear all the breeders are going to get pinched, and be forced out of the state. Many livelihoods and jobs would leave the Garden State and go to places where Breeding programs are rewarded like PA. Many of the farms in Jersey would go under and that land would be taken for development.

I hope it does not come to this and someone looks at for the breeder. I would hate to abandon my state and start breeding my horses in PA, but I have to face reality that this might be the sign of the times.

Horse update- Karma continues to train well and even drew inquiries by a prominent NJ trainer at the training track last week. She ran behind one of the states best Male sprinters for the past 3 years, and really held her own. The trainer said who is the…our trainer told him it was a 2 year old filly. In the end it means nothing but nice to hear anyway.

Pete still has his manhood in tact….he seems to be a little off and at first we thought he may have developed an infection but the dr said he checked out fine (blood work too) , so now we think he may have a bothersome shoulder . He is being shut down for a few days and we are having another Doc come out next week to look him over.

That is it for now

dedewhale