Freehold Raceway Repercussion

[gh2009]

Jason Settlemoir brags about how great their product is. Other than a handful of nights, the product is cheap and filled with amateur races with cheap horses. Jeff Gural always cries poor and talks about how he saved The Meadowlands, but he really only did it in hopes of getting a casino there and making millions.

[Bitter Truth]

Bingo

[Arnold Ziffel]

This may sound heartless, but the majority of owners at Freehold lose money year after year because their horses are cheap and the purses are low. The bottom line is, the majority of them will save money when the track closes. As for the backstretch help, most of the better stables have a shortage of grooms so jobs will be available. As for the track employees, there really aren't many live tellers anymore with self-service betting machines.

there are 96 track employees that will be out of a job.

[Arnold Ziffel]

Jason Settlemoir brags about how great their product is. Other than a handful of nights, the product is cheap and filled with amateur races with cheap horses. Jeff Gural always cries poor and talks about how he saved The Meadowlands, but he really only did it in hopes of getting a casino there and making millions.

I agree I hope he succeeded.

[gh2009]

People lose jobs all the time, and most of the 96 employees are older people. They'll collect severance pay and unemployment, then they can get a job at Wawa or a greeter at Wal-Mart.

[kantseeback]

That property that Freehold raceway sits on must be worth a mint.

[bello]

No severance except for Bruno. Why do you think he ran it into the ground for years. His golden parachute.

This closure is too bad. Freehold could have made it with a touch of marketing and management.

[gh2009]

Nobody goes to the track anymore so in my opinion marketing wouldn't have made a difference.

[Arnold Ziffel]

No severance except for Bruno. Why do you think he ran it into the ground for years. His golden parachute.

This closure is too bad. Freehold could have made it with a touch of marketing and management.

I totally agree!

[Arnold Ziffel]

Nobody goes to the track anymore so in my opinion marketing wouldn't have made a difference.

I disagree. With the right creative persistent marketing I think it would've made it. They did absolutely nothing to attract people. A friend of mine runs one of the biggest car show organizations in New Jersey it would've attracted a lot of people they never heard back from freehold management after multiple emails and calls thousands usualy attend. That's just one example of many.

[gh2009]

You're only talking about a handful of promotions which might attract a few thousand people who bet $10. In my opinion, Bruno gave up on the track years ago and wasn't going to spend anything to promote it.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

Everyone is going to have an opinion, say they could have made it if they did this, did that, marketing, promotions, attract this, bring in that, and so on. However, nobody has seen the financials. It would take a complete and total overhaul, turn-around, and regenesis as that place has been run into the ground. Based upon the last time I was there, I am sure it would cost---a lot---to upgrade not just the building, but the entire facility/plant/property. Who knows if daytime harness racing could still work today. Other than their own racing, they have no content.

Is the sportsbook an automatic (subject to licensing, approval, etc.)? Same with the two OTW locations? They did have two, right? Other than the one in Woodbridge or whatever town that's called, I never saw the other one(s).

[Arnold Ziffel]

Everyone is going to have an opinion, say they could have made it if they did this, did that, marketing, promotions, attract this, bring in that, and so on. However, nobody has seen the financials. It would take a complete and total overhaul, turn-around, and regenesis as that place has been run into the ground. Based upon the last time I was there, I am sure it would cost---a lot---to upgrade not just the building, but the entire facility/plant/property. Who knows if daytime harness racing could still work today. Other than their own racing, they have no content.

Is the sportsbook an automatic (subject to licensing, approval, etc.)? Same with the two OTW locations? They did have two, right? Other than the one in Woodbridge or whatever town that's called, I never saw the other one(s).

You brought up a great point I would love to see the financials!!

[M P]

Who drives a successful entertainment enterprise? The youth. Who are playing video games, on TikTok, going to Taylor Swift concerts, on their phones 24 hours a day and still living with their parents in their 30s. That used to be the crowd who went out on the weekends looking for a good time. The same crowd who also went to the racetracks. Add in nobody wants to wait for gratification anymore. Fast, in, out then move onto the next stimulation. A lot of other businesses are long gone for the same reasons that didn't have injections of subsidy to keep it afloat. So first question, and be honest with yourself. Do you ever see this industry becoming a viable and relevant form of entertainment that can be profitable and fly on its own. That's without trying to convince the public that it isn't rigged, abusive, using drugs on horses and filled with criminals. Like I said last week, the two biggest press releases regarding harness racing in the last decade have been the federal sting and Freehold closing. We need a Caitlin Clark of harness racing. A story that people can't ignore. What would that take? It's not about speed anymore. Does anyone on the street know who Bulldog Hanover is? If there are ten chapters in the story of harness racing, is it possible we're in chapter 9 or 10? I was a fool two years ago thinking that if people spoke up and fought back the sport could somehow change its perception with the public and possibly be seen again as a legitimate sport that might even interest a slice of the younger crowd. Well that was a HUGE fucking mistake and miscalculation wasn't it. You have leadership spending millions to fight integrity and transparency and is also willing to do anything to silence anyone who dares expose certain truths. One by one we're seeing it shrink. The stars are aligning for government oversight. The fact that is even on the table is an embarrassment and proof just how gross the business is today. JMO.

P.S. Horsemen in general need to be taught just how much it truly costs to operate a racetrack and fund its purse account. They really don't have a clue. I'm seeing that more with the comments I read about Freehold and how they think it can be saved.

[gh2009]

Bottom line is, alot of the older people who used to go to the racetrack have passed away. Young people have so many other things to do they have no interest in horse racing. Racetrack managements have done little or nothing to attract new people to the track, plus with the advent of ADW's and off-track wagering, there's no reason to come to the track when you can wager from the comforts of home.