Dennis Drazin | Horse Racing Free Tips

Purse Increase, Dates Added at Monmouth

Officials at Monmouth Park have announced an across-the-board increase in purses to begin on TVG.com Haskell S. day July 17 and have added three live September dates on Fridays to the calendar.

“We're thankful to Gov. Philip Murphy and to the leadership in the state Senate and Assembly who continue to support racing in New Jersey,” said Dennis Drazin, the Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, the operators of Monmouth Park. “A supplemental appropriation was passed and signed into law, and with rain preventing us from writing more races during the early stages of the meet, we have $5.5 million to spend on purses to support the Monmouth Park product as a result.

“We believe it was important to make the announcement at this time, so horsemen can plan for the balance of the meet. We feel these increases will further strengthen what is already a quality product.”

A 20% increase will be applied to all maiden special weight and allowance races, while claiming races run for $12,500 tags or higher will see a prize money increase of 10%. The purses for lower-level claimers will be raised by 5%. Open stakes races that are currently listed at $75,000 will be contested for $100,000, while state-bred stakes will run for $85,000, up from $75,000.

Other stakes races will receive more significant bumps. According to the release, the Sept. 26 Nownownow S. for 2-year-olds at a mile on the turf, will see the largest boost from $150,000 to $500,000. The race in named in honor of the winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf held at Monmouth in 2007 and will serve as a stepping-stone to this year's race at Del Mar Nov. 5.

The Sapling S. (Sept. 5) and Sorority S. (Sept. 6.), for 2-year-old males and females, respectively, see their purses doubled to $200,000, while the GIII Monmouth Oaks and GIII Iselin S. are each to be raised by $50,000 to $250,000.

Monmouth's original schedule called for weekend racing only during the month of September, but the track will now hold live programs Friday-Sunday and will conduct live racing on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Officials also announced that after a one-year hiatus owing to the coronavirus, the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet will return in 2021. Nine all-turf programs will also see significant purse increases. That schedule will be announced at a later date.

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Dennis Drazin Talks Eventful Monmouth Meet On Writers’ Room

While the 2021 meet at Monmouth Park is less than three weeks old, several years worth of drama has already been packed in at the Jersey Shore staple this spring, and Wednesday morning, the track's chairman and CEO Dennis Drazin joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to discuss it all. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Drazin talked about the fraught implementation of the New Jersey Racing Commission's whip ban, the latest attempt by the Jockeys' Guild to put pressure on Monmouth over it, the forthcoming experiment with fixed-odds wagering and more.

“I think it was a cheap shot on the part of the [Jockeys'] Guild to punish our jockeys that are riding at Monmouth Park for actions which were beyond their control and beyond Monmouth Park's control,” Drazin said of a Guild announcement that it will no longer insure Monmouth jockeys starting July 1. “About two years ago, there was a proposal for a rule change. The racing commission reached out to the industry to get some preliminary guidance. I remember very clearly going to the first meeting at Monmouth Park where the industry was invited by public notice. The Guild was there on behalf of the jockeys. As an attorney, I personally would have had a dozen jockeys in the first row to give their position on the rule and educate the commissioners. The Guild didn't do that. They didn't present any jockeys at those hearings. Now what they've done is punish riders for choosing to ride at Monmouth by taking away their coverages. I don't think that's the right course of action, and the Guild ought to think better of the actions that they took in writing that letter. I think they will receive notice from legal counsel. I think they're looking at litigation going forward if they continue this.”

While the first two weeks of the Monmouth meet were poor from a handle standpoint, likely in part due to rainy weather, the betting numbers improved drastically in its third week. Monmouth will have a chance to build on that momentum when it becomes the first major American track to implement a fixed-odds wagering system in the next month.

“We will definitely have fixed-odds wagering by the [July 17] Haskell because there is a pilot program right here right now that permits fixed-odds wagering on Grade I races as long as you conform to the Interstate Horse Racing Act,” Drazin explained. “It was offered on the Haskell in 2018 and 2019. The broader position, and this is something the whole country is looking at, is fixed-odds wagering is something we think is good for Thoroughbred racing and something that will be well received. But the racetracks around the country and the horsemen's groups that I have dialog with trying to study this, everybody's uncomfortable. Everybody tries to think, what's the right math? What's the right dollar amount, what's the right takeout? What's the impact of cannibalization? There are a lot of conversations going on trying to figure out how to do this correctly. And if everybody thinks about it forever and doesn't pull the trigger, we're never going to move it forward.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds, the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to the latest lawsuit from Bob Bafffert's legal team, broke down the Royal Ascot meeting from all angles and wondered what the news of The Stronach Group's potential sale of assets could mean for racing. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Jockeys’ Guild Cuts Insurance For Riders At Monmouth Park

In a letter to membership dated June 7, the Jockeys' Guild informed its membership that it will no longer provide insurance policies for riders at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. The New Jersey Racing Commission instituted the strictest whip policy in the country this year, preventing riders from using the whip for any reason except for safety. The Jockeys' Guild president Terry Meyocks has repeatedly voiced his opinion against the whip restriction in New Jersey.

“It is our opinion and belief that this regulation is extremely dangerous and is creating an even greater risk to both the equine and human athletes, including the potential for injury and/or loss of life to the jockeys and the horses,” the Guild said in its letter to members. “The increase of risk is thereby creating a greater exposure for the Jockeys' Guild and the benefits that we provide to our members who are riding under such regulation.”

Insurance for riders at Monmouth will end on July 1. Currently, those benefits include: temporary disability, life insurance, and Accident, Death and Disability benefits. When insurance coverage from the Jockeys' Guild ends, riders will have to take out their own insurance policies or accept the risks of racing without it.

Dennis Drazin, CEO and chairman of Monmouth Park operator Darby Development, called the Guild's decision a “cheap shot.”

“This is an uncalled-for reaction to a rule that the racing commission put into effect and now they want to punish their own jockeys because they are riding,” Drazin said. “The comments I have heard are that some of the jocks are upset with the Guild and don't feel that they are representing them well. Now they decide that they're going to suspend the benefits that they provide to our jockeys. Frankly, if our jockeys wanted to, they have a very good lawsuit against the Guild.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Guild to End Insurance Coverage for Monmouth Riders

In a June 7 letter, the Jockeys' Guild informed its membership that, starting July 1, Monmouth Park jockeys will no longer be covered by Guild insurance policies. The Guild has been providing temporary disability benefits, life insurance and Accident, Death and Disability benefits to those who have chosen to ride in New Jersey.

The Guild has been adamant in its belief that racing has become more dangerous at Monmouth Park because jockeys are no longer allowed to encourage their mounts with the use of the whip. In the June 7 letter, sent out to all Guild members, Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks wrote that, “The increase of risk is thereby creating a greater exposure for the Jockeys' Guild and the benefits that we provide to our members who are riding under such regulation.”

Meyocks said that the cost of the insurance policies has, so far, not increased due to the whip regulations, but that the Guild's Board of Directors is concerned that the ban will eventually lead to higher rates.

Once the policies have been withdrawn, it appears that anyone riding at Monmouth will either have to take out insurance of their own or accept the risks that would come from riding without coverage. When asked if he expected that some riders would chose to leave Monmouth because of the insurance situation, Meyocks replied, “I have no idea. I really don't. All we have done all along is to just inform everybody.”

Dennis Drazin, who heads the management company that operates the racetrack, lashed out at the Guild Monday, calling the decision to withdraw the insurance a “cheap shot.”

“This is an uncalled-for reaction to a rule that the racing commission put into effect and now they want to punish their own jockeys because they are riding,” Drazin said. “It doesn't reflect well on the Jockeys' Guild. It is something they should not have done. Insurance companies don't cancel your coverage because of the racing commission putting in a regulation that the Guild has known about for two years.”

Drazin suggested that those who will continue to ride at Monmouth have the grounds for a lawsuit against the Guild.

“The comments I have heard are that some of the jocks are upset with the Guild and don't feel that they are representing them well,” Drazin said. “Now they decide that they're going to suspend the benefits that they provide to our jockeys. Frankly, if our jockeys wanted to, they have a very good lawsuit against the Guild.”

Meyocks said that Monmouth is on a list of tracks that do not make any financial contributions to the Guild's insurance policies.

Monmouth kicked off its 2021 meet May 28 with the strictest rules in the sport regarding whipping. The rules, put into effect by the New Jersey Racing Commission, allow jockeys to carry whips but they can only use them when they feel they are in an unsafe situation. At no point in a race can a jockey use the whip to encourage the horse. Jockeys Joe Bravo and Antonio Gallardo have refused to ride at the meet due to safety concerns, but Monmouth has had no problem finding enough jockeys willing to ride. Ten racing days into the meet, the racing has been conducted without any noticeable safety issues.

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