Preparing the gates and fences at Freehold.

[Sunmoon 1219]

Our friends out East say they are now putting in new gates to lock up the place in 2 weeks he said they have heavy duty chains and locks as well. Guess they want to keep out the hobos . Shame it ended like that . Howard was a nice guy touring us a few weeks ago .

[jupiter]

I've known Howard for over 20 yrs, he's a complete scumbag. It was management not Karen or anybody else. Don't think any of them wanted it closed.

[dougie]

As someone who's gone to Freehold for over 50 years, it's closing is a sad event. The facility has been falling apart for years due to lack of any real investment. A lot of great horseman rode up Route 9 and raced there. But Penn Gaming knows that property which the track sits on is prime real estate. So I guess they'll have another strip mall or $800,000 condos built on that land. I wish all those employees and horse folk associated with the track the best of luck.

[kantseeback]

As someone who's gone to Freehold for over 50 years, it's closing is a sad event. The facility has been falling apart for years due to lack of any real investment. A lot of great horseman rode up Route 9 and raced there. But Penn Gaming knows that property which the track sits on is prime real estate. So I guess they'll have another strip mall or $800,000 condos built on that land. I wish all those employees and horse folk associated with the track the best of luck.

I live in Monmouth county, Mcmansions being erected all over the place, anywhere they can wedge one in. Real estate is booming. They will have that track demolished and condos/mcmansions erected in the blink of an eye.

[Hambletonian46]

There was a guy must have been 20-30 years ago that proposed to build a harness track in PA. I believe he was going to call it "Stars & Stripes Downs" or some such thing. It was going to be a bare bones track with no real accoutrements, basically it was going to exist for simulcasting.

That gentleman was way ahead of his time. You could fit the daily live audience at most raceways into a modest high school gym. No more restaurants, food service of any kind really, they just put up with you. My wife and i used to go to Monticello and the Meadowlands as a night out...gotta believe those days are over forever. All of us have fond memories of these tracks, but I have to tell you at this point in my life I'd rather bet from my living room recliner then "enjoy" what passes today for the live race experience today.

It really is quite a shame. Harness racing still has strong county fair roots, especially compared to the runners, where almost all fair racing has ceased. And it truly is the sport of the people. Growing up in Hudson Valley I recall that many bars and pool halls would have winners circle pictures displayed, and you didn't have to scratch too far under the surface to find someone you knew, or someone you knew who knew someone in the industry.

RIP Freehold. Soon to be followed by Vernon Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Batavia Raceway, and Monticello or Yonkers.

[kantseeback]

There was a guy must have been 20-30 years ago that proposed to build a harness track in PA. I believe he was going to call it "Stars & Stripes Downs" or some such thing. It was going to be a bare bones track with no real accoutrements, basically it was going to exist for simulcasting.

That gentleman was way ahead of his time. You could fit the daily live audience at most raceways into a modest high school gym. No more restaurants, food service of any kind really, they just put up with you. My wife and i used to go to Monticello and the Meadowlands as a night out...gotta believe those days are over forever. All of us have fond memories of these tracks, but I have to tell you at this point in my life I'd rather bet from my living room recliner then "enjoy" what passes today for the live race experience today.

It really is quite a shame. Harness racing still has strong county fair roots, especially compared to the runners, where almost all fair racing has ceased. And it truly is the sport of the people. Growing up in Hudson Valley I recall that many bars and pool halls would have winners circle pictures displayed, and you didn't have to scratch too far under the surface to find someone you knew, or someone you knew who knew someone in the industry.

RIP Freehold. Soon to be followed by Vernon Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Batavia Raceway, and Monticello or Yonkers.

I went to Dover Downs in the 90's. I think the grandstand held 800 or so max. The place was full of farmers and flannel shirted guys. The walls were covered in cheap brown paneling.  When I bet 200 the teller almost had a heart attack.
I remember when the big M was jammed to the gills at that huge prior grandstand, you would be extremely lucky to find a seat on any level. Even the Hambletonian was packed in the old grandstand up to 2013.

I also remember Monti being packed with very long lines at the betting windows.
Yonkers was also packed and even had an ushered reserved area in the outside grandstand.
Those days are gone and will never return.

[seriously]

I will miss Freehold. 

Ironically, it was the first track I ever saw from the comfort of my living room.  Well, actually backyard.  Around 1998 when TRN (the precursor to RTN) first was offered, I jumped at the chance to harness racing in my home.  I ordered the dish and decoder (back then it was their own, not part of DISH network, etc) and the day it came I found a spot on my garage for the dish, and had to run about 100 feet of cable to my house.  Because you had to adjust the angles of the dish and LNB, I needed a monitor out with me.  When I heard those beeps accelerate to the needed speed for the signal, I locked down the dish and went to change the channel from the setup page.  The very first race I ever saw was one from Freehold.  It was fucking glorious!

And now, a quarter century later, I'm older, Freehold is closing, and the world seems a bit less fun!

[Rdp066]

I have to admit that I will miss it as well.  The only person who delights in its closing is  Howard Bruno.  He did everything he could to get it shut down and must feel very contented on the insides.  On the exterior he has to put on a false front and try and make it look like he is sorry.

On the opposite end, I won't feel sorry for the scumbag teller, Bobby, who works the dining room on Saturday and helped the juicers, crooks and other scumbags place their bets.

Also if you are a regular you must be familiar with a douche bag named Al, who sits in the glass enclosed room and bets only harness seven days a week.  Supposedly this POS is married and I wonder just how beat his wife is.

Another POS is a small guy named Kevin who roams the facility sticking his hand in every garbage pail desperate to find a winner after he loses his entire paycheck.

These people are losing their entire life now and I wonder how many suicides there will be.

[GETSOME]

RIP Freehold. Soon to be followed by Vernon Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Batavia Raceway, and Monticello or Yonkers.

I think this quote from a fellow "plop artist" is exceedingly poignant.

[dougie]

kantseeback.....y ou are so right. I have family living in Marlboro, Freehold, West Morganville. They drive me around when we come down from Maine. The houses are simply amazing. I shutter to think what they cost.

[dougie]

seriously, my brother-in-law Maxie (Rest In Peace) lived in Covered Bridge and shot over to Freehold when he wanted some action. I used to come visit around when Freehold was open. Just loved it. A great track for the locals.

[oh canada]

I loved going to Freehold . Won quite a few races there and spent time with a lot of great friends!! I find this very sad.

[Sunmoon 1219]

The one thing that seems to ring constant is that every one chiming in sounds at least 50+ that’s the sports problem not just freeholds . We flew out there last month there wasn’t a soul among the hundred in attendance not collecting social security. Freehold is done . Go say your goodbyes even drop a bouquet of flowers. We will be out for the auction next month . Good luck homeless people.

[Rdp066]

Very true.  Harness racing is dying a slow death in the USA.  The only people in attendance are senior POS who have an ugly wife to go home to or none at all.  At Freehold many of them old POS come there to hang out and talk, but not bet.  They come for a couple of hours, buy a small coffee and talk about their aches and pains and then go home and wait to croak.

[kantseeback]

kantseeback.....you are so right. I have family living in Marlboro, Freehold, West Morganville. They drive me around when we come down from Maine. The houses are simply amazing. I shutter to think what they cost.

I am near the Keyport/Hazlet/Holmdel/Matawan/Middletown area. A 2 bedroom small house on a regular sized lot is about 560,000.00 right now. New construction everywhere. This is an extremely low crime clean area.