New Beginning for Monmouth Park?

The 2011 season at Monmouth Park begins on Saturday, with gates opening at 11:50 a.m. and the first of 11 races at 12:50 p.m., though expectedly the meeting has met with much less fanfare than 2010’s “Elite Meet” that bolstered purses and bettor interest and drew widespread interest nationally.

The Shore’s Greatest Stretch faces great uncertainty amid the ownership status of the venerable Oceanport track (as I blog in greater detail on http://www.njhorseplayer.com), but for the daily horseplayer, the weekend handicapper like me and the shore visitor alike who relishes the annual rite of passage to Monmouth Park, on Saturday is a new beginning!

Grandstand admission is free on opening day (clubhouse admission is half-price), with live racing scheduled for the next three Saturdays and Sundays, plus Memorial Day.  The casual fan will find the usual schedule of family-friendly events, such as the annual Irish (June 12) and Cajun festivals (July 16) and the showcase $1 million Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on Sunday, July 31.

From a wagering standpoint, significantly, Monmouth is spicing things up by returning more dollars to the horseplayer – a key to increasing interest not only on, but in off-track wagering that will benefit Monmouth as well.  All parties involved, from legislators to the horsemen and breeders to bettors and concessionaires must hope these moves, plus newly approved ventures into so-called exchange wagering, prove fruitful to a viable, (and as Gov. Chris Christie demands) self-sustaining racetrack.

The new Place Pick Six, where bettors make a base 50-cent wager in hopes of nailing the first- or second-place finisher in races 4-9, features an attractive 15 percent takeout” (parlance for the track’s cut), as do the increasingly popular Pick 4, 5 and 6 wagers.  The Pick 4 is a 50 cent base now as well, down from $1, which may entice the casual bettor and cultivate growth in recurring business.  (Hopefully, lower win-place-show takeouts are next up, along with greater efforts at increasing fan interest and education.)

Between now and Saturday, hopefully the weather will cooperate (there is some precipitation in the forecast), and serious and casual visitors alike should hope for a resolution to the ownership question so that fans can really enjoy another great season of thoroughbred racing. 

I am hoping to swing by on Sunday, but if not, I will see you at Monmouth Park next Saturday, May 21, for Preakness Day and the first live handicapping contest of 2011.