“I'm delighted to be joining the team at Monmouth,” said Dinerman, a 31-year-old native of California. “It's an honor to be selected as their next voice.  Monmouth is a beautiful racetrack with a large, enthusiastic fan base that supports great racing.  I'm really looking forward to meeting and being a part of the community.”

Dinerman, currently the voice of Oaklawn Park, began his announcing career at the age of 22 at Emerald Downs. Before moving to Oaklawn late last year, he was the track announcer and handicapper at Golden Gate Fields for six years.

“Matt is a great addition for Monmouth Park,” said General Manager Bill Anderson. “His accurate, spot-on calls, coupled with his enthusiasm are a great fit here in Oceanport. I'm certain he'll add to the long list of great voices that have called Monmouth Park their home.”

Matt follows Chris Griffin, Jason Beem, Frank Mirahmadi, Travis Stone and Larry Collmus, all who have been the full-time announcers at Monmouth Park for the past 30 years.

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There can't possibly be another track announcer as unique as Larry Lederman.

Hell, there can't possibly be another human as unique as Larry Lederman.

Lawrence Brian Lederman died Mar. 5, at his home in East Windsor, New Jersey, weeks after his 67th birthday.

That Larry survived more than a dozen years with an inoperable brain tumor (winning that game of under/over) was a testament to his acerbic wit, unyielding faith, biting sense of humor and a shrewdness/stubbornness to realize the multitudes who loved him wanted him around (let's not forget his many medical friends).

A dear friend described Larry as 'a gentle and generous soul. His approach to the cancer treatment was to take it as far as he could, which is why he was able to sustain so long after the passing of his beloved wife and daughter.'

…and he brought pies to those who were taking care of him.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Larry caught the track bug early, even before sharing a stand-up microphone with some guy named Robin Williams.

He was a three-decade-plus Harness/Thoroughbred announcer extraordinaire at New Jersey's Atlantic City Race Course, Freehold Raceway and Garden State Park, plus an in-demand guest at more venues than this space permits.

His calls were clear, concise, comical and, above all, correct.

…then, there were the voices.

Larry interjected so many spot-on impressions, and dropped so many names into the course of a race, you'd swear it was a fire hazard having that many people in the booth.

His Jackie Mason was so good, Jackie Mason wasn't sure if he, himself was indeed Jackie Mason.

The silver screen took notice, recruiting Larry to be the off-camera track announcer in 1993's 'A Bronx Tale.'

There was commercial voice-over work as well, but it was his equine passion, and his compassion toward others, that made Larry Larry.

As was mentioned, Larry was predeceased by his wife, Jodi, and their daughter, Leslie. Larry is survived by his brother, Alan, son, Scott and grandson, Cayden LoBianco.

Listing his extended family, both in and out of racing (shout-outs to the Christian Harness Horsemen's Association and the Meadowlands) would take way too long.

Here's the irony…anyone who tries to be the next Larry Lederman would be nothing more than a poor imitation of someone who never did a poor imitation.

TDN's Bill Finley, for 40 years a friend of Lederman, said: “Not only was Larry a great and colorful announcer, he was maybe the nicest guy on the planet. He cared more about others than himself. As announcers go, there was no one else like him. He was so clever and so creative that he could have you laughing after listening to his call of a $5,000 claimer. I got to know him even better during the many years he was battling this terrible disease, which happened to concur with the loss of his wife and his daughter. He was truly dealt a horrible hand, but he stayed remarkably upbeat and optimistic through the entire ordeal. Cancer or not, he kept you laughing. This is a great loss and not just for horse racing but for mankind.”

While Larry's services are private, those who desire honoring him might consider a donation to the Christian Harness Horsemen's Association or a cancer- or hospice-related charity.

Remembering Larry Lederman

“He was an outstanding race caller,” said Dave Johnson, the longtime voice of the GI Kentucky Derby on ABC. “He had a unique sense of humor that he blended into his work. He was a very funny and decent guy. I had touched base with him through emails before he passed away on Tuesday and he was in a good mood. He's in a better place. 'It's such a shame.”

“Larry was a creative, passionate, skilled race caller and an even better friend,” Caton Bredar said in a tweet. “We got to spend time him during our Atlantic City days which were the best of times. Truly one of the good guys.”

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The money has already been approved for 2024. The extension was to run from 2025 through 2029.

Murphy vetoed 12 bills in all, using what is called a pocket veto. That type of veto applies only to bills sent to the governor's desk in the final 10 days of a legislative session. If the governor does not sign such bills within seven days of the end of a session those bills are vetoed without being sent back to the Legislature.

Murphy's decision came as a major surprise since he has largely supported racing during his time in office and the bill had overwhelming support in the Senate and in the Assembly. It passed the Senate by a 35-1 margin and the Assembly by a 73-0 margin.

The purse subsidy is vital to Monmouth Park, which, without it, would offer far smaller purses and have trouble competing for horses with the many other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region.

“If we didn't get this money, it would be a disaster,” said Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development, the management team that operates Monmouth. “We'd either have to cut days or purses.”

Drazin admits he was alarmed when first hearing news of the veto and he immediately placed a call to Murphy. Drazin said he heard back within 15 minutes and the governor reassured him that future purse subsidies remain very much alive.

“I spoke with him and he wholeheartedly supports the industry, but he did not feel a bill like this should get passed through a lame-duck session,” Drazin said. “He is committed to continue to work on it and get it done through the budget process. I take him at his word. He has been supportive of the industry ever since he's been in office and he says he will get it done, just not the way it was being handled. I trust this governor. He made a commitment and I am taking him at his word. If he had said, 'I'm vetoing it', that's it, we'd be having a different conversation.”

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On Tuesday, Taylor fired back. According to an email from Tilden Katz of Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, Taylor has sued Gural alleging defamation and related crimes for his accusations that Taylor was purchasing EPO, which, Gural implied, he was supplying to his trainers.

Katz said that the statements Gural had made were untrue. “No facts, in either the Meadowlands press release or the article, supported the claim that Taylor ever gave Epogen to any of his trainers or that Taylor ever instructed any trainer to use Epogen on his horses,” Katz said.

The lawsuit, Howard Taylor v. Jeffrey Gural, was filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Taylor is a lawyer based in Philadelphia who specializes in equine and horse racing related issues. He has one of the largest stables in the sport of harness racing, one that normally has about 170 horses.

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The delay in imposing the ban was put in place in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest because many of the trainers are pointing horses to races run at the Meadowlands during November in which they could meet horses owned by Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural. The delay will also give owners time to transfer their horses to new barns.

The Meadowlands requested access to evidence presented during the trials of Dr. Seth Fishman and one of his assistants, Lisa Giannelli. Fishman was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Giannelli was given a sentence of 42 months. They were among more than 30 people charged with crimes related to the use of performance-enhancing drugs on horses after a widespread investigation by the FBI and others.

Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural said that he has so far received information only from the Giannelli trial and predicted that when information from the Fishman trial is released far more names could be involved.

According to a press release issued Friday by the Meadowlands, the evidence obtained by the track revealed the identity of persons who had purchased prohibited substances Epogen and Thymosyn.

Those who will be excluded for the alleged use of EPO are Dylan Davis, Nick Devita, Gareth Dowse, Jeff Gillis, Brian Malone, John Mungillo, Eric Prevost, Richard Silverman, Leroy Slabaugh and Howard Taylor.

Those who will be excluded for the alleged use of Thymosyn are Ryan Bellamy, Anthony Buttitta, Franck Chick, Jamen Davidovich, Eddie Dennis, Brady Galliers, Rick Howles, Anthony Lake, Betty Jean Davis Lare, Kevin Lare, John Leggio, Gregg McNair, Cynthia Milano, Anthony Napolitano, Howard Savage, Arthur Stafford and Trevor Stafford.

Additionally and according to the Meadowlands press release, the Federal government conducted its own collection of blood and urine samples from racehorses, both post-race and from out of competition testing, during its investigation. Six individuals allegedly had horses test poistive for banned substances and also will be excluded from the Meadowlands. The following is a list of those individuals and the drugs their horses allegeldy tested positive for: Al Annunziata (Propantheline); Jenn Bongiorno (Ethamsylate); Bob Bongiorno (Ethamsylate); Scott DiDomenico (Ethamsylate); Jeff Gillis (Ethamsylate); Nick Sodano Sr. (Cobalt).

The 33 could face even more penalties as the information uncovered by the Meadowlands will be turned over to the various state racing commissions covering the tracks where the individuals compete.

Asked why there were no thoroughbred horsemen among the names uncovered by the Meadowlands, Gural speculated that Giannelli's clients were primarily Standardbred horsemen and that once names linked to Fishman are released they could involve thoroughbred trainers and owners.

Fishman, a Florida veterinarian, was sentenced for what United States Attorney Damian Williams said was due to “his role at the helm of an approximately twenty-year scheme to manufacture, market, and sell to racehorse trainers and others in the racehorse industry 'untestable' performance enhancing drugs for use in professional horseracing.”

While the evidence against Fishman was enough for him to be sentenced to 11 years in prison, the government's case didn't shed much light on who was buying what from Fishman and his company. The one exception was Jorge Navarro, who was directly linked to Fishman. In a Department of Justice press release it was revealed that “Fishman aided Navarro in doping XY Jet, a thoroughbred horse that won the 2019 Golden Shaheen race in Dubai before dying of sudden heart attack in January 2020. As established at trial, Fishman sold tens of thousands of dollars' worth of PEDs to Navarro over the course of several years, and Navarro specifically credited Fishman for XY Jet's performance at the Golden Shaheen.”

“The whole thing is terrible,” Gural said. “It's unfortunate. They lucked out that I kept the Meadowlands open, but their luck ran out because I am honest. We spent $2.5 million of our own money on this investigation. It's sad because there are people who had no choice but to cheat. They felt they had to feed their family and they couldn't win a race. What's really sad is Howard Taylor. He's not a trainer, he's an owner. He had to be giving EPO to his trainers to use and not a single trainer picked up the phone and said I have an owner who wants me to use EPO on his horses.  He has 150 horses and he uses a lot of trainers. You would have thought at least one trainer would have picked up the phone and told us what's going on.”

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That doesn't exist in horse racing, a sport where your rooting interest changes from race to race with each bet you make.

So what if racing could adopt the team concept? Will that help grow the sport?

Lane and Daugherty believe that it will, and that's why they have created the National Thoroughbred League (NTL). Ready to launch on Sept. 2, the league will consist of six teams representing six cities. League races will take place on five weekends, points will be accrued in the races and the team that has the most points when the season ends on Dec. 31 at Tampa Bay Downs will win $1 million.

“The idea is to take what works in pretty much every other sport,” Lane said. “Why not take that and bring it to this great sport, horse racing? It is America's original spectator sport. We're going to create team affinities. There are Yankees fans, Cowboys fans. You love your team and you love the players, the new ones and the returning players. People love those teams because they represent their cities. We want to do the same for horse racing.”

Rick Ross and Nelly will be team owners | Getty Images

The NTL has already attracted an impressive list of investors. Team owners will include rappers Nelly and Rick Ross, NFL star Kayvan Thibodeux, the NBA's Danny Green and retired basketball player Baron Davis. Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown, Mike Smith and Chantal Sutherland have also signed on to be part of the project. Tom Ludt, the former chairman of the Breeders' Cup, has been hired as the league's President of Horse Operations.

The six teams will represent New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Seattle, Nashville and Philadelphia. Each team will have a name, a logo and specific silks that will be their uniform. The teams will each consist of six horses. All horses will be owned by the league. They will be assigned to their teams based on a draft, not unlike the ones that take place in other sports.

It will be up to Ludt to find the horses. He said that he will soon start the process of buying 36 horses and will be talking to bloodstock agents to see what is available. Each team will consist of six horses. He said he will use various avenues to find the horses and will aim to make sure they are relatively evenly matched so that the races are competitive.

“I'm going to try to buy 36 horses that would be in that high allowance, small stakes level,” he said. “We're using tools and parameters, like Ragozin and Beyer numbers, to make sure the horses are evenly matched. We want to create competitive fields. We'll try our best to make sure the horses are at the same level.”

The NTL horses will not be allowed to run in non-NTL races.

If more horses are needed due to attrition, they can be acquired through a supplemental draft. The horses will remain members of their team as long as they stay sound and are able to be competitive in the NTL races. Ludt said that for the first year, most of the races will be sprints.

The series will start on Sept. 2 at Kentucky Downs, which will represent the Nashville market. It will then travel to Emerald Downs (Seattle), the Meadowlands (New York and New Jersey) and Los Angeles (Los Alamitos) with the final races held at Tampa Bay Downs. There will be three NTL races held at each venue and they will be spread out over two days. Each race will consist of six horses, one from each team. Points will be awarded to the teams based on where their horses finish.

Randall believes that one of the most appealing aspects of the league concept is that no horse will be retired prematurely to cash in on their value as a sire or broodmare prospect.

“We want to create stars,” he said. “In every other sport, when you become a star, you don't retire. You go on to have an even-higher profile. In racing, when horses become famous, they are generally retired because it is in owner's economic interest to do that. Because our horses are going to be owned by the league, you won't be able to do that. If we are ever fortunate enough to have a Flightline or an American Pharoah, those horses will race year after year and that will go a long way toward creating a fan base.”

Ludt said the plan is to expand and he expects more teams to come on board for 2024. He envisions having two divisions, eastern and western conferences.

The NTL is also looking to expand and simplify the wagering menu, where bettors can wager on their team, whether that means in a head-to-head competition with another team, or winning the overall championship.

The NTL team also hopes to bring the type of atmosphere found at racing's biggest events, like the Breeders' Cup and the Kentucky Derby, to their racing weekends. They see each racing day as part of a larger festival that will feature food, fashion, parties and concerts. The New York/New Jersey races will include a trackside celebrity chef competition and will partner with the New York City Wine and Food Festival.

“We want to have the same type of atmosphere they have with Formula 1,” Lane said. “The Preakness, the Kentucky Derby, those are incredible weekends. In the case of the Derby, more than 150,000 people enjoyed it. That's because it's not just a race, it is weekend-long celebration. Once a month, somewhere in America, we want to have an incredible lifestyle weekend centered around the great sport of thoroughbred racing.”

It will be a large undertaking and might need time to get established and grow, but Ludt said he believed the NTL will achieve the goals first set forth when Lane and Daugherty met for dinner.

“We're going to create competitive racing fields, wrapped around a great weekend of entertainment in the city and at the facility,” he said. “This is a concept that is really exciting for an industry that needs that bolt of energy.”

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Still just a teenager and already over the million-dollar mark in earnings, Rowland knew early on that her future was in horses.

“I always grew up around horses,” she said. “My dad trained steeplechase horses before he passed and my mom galloped for a little bit and helped my dad train. When I was 12 or 13, I started pony racing and then I started working for Lizzie Merryman when I was 15 or 16. And ever since then, [I knew] I was going to be jockey.”

Now based around the Mid-Atlantic after a hugely successful winter at Tampa Bay Downs, Rowland enjoys the hustle of riding multiple tracks in the same week.

“After doing pretty good in Tampa [Bay Downs], and coming to ride in the Mid-Atlantic, I definitely had goals and things I had to work for,” said Rowland. “It's awesome though because there's so many tracks around here that you can ride from one hour to six hours away. It's tough here,” she admits. “It was a little hard to get going but I am happy with how it's going now. I've been riding with really great people that have helped me a lot and I've gotten really good opportunities.”

Through the learning process of being an apprentice jockey, Rowland cops to being her own biggest critic. When asked what the hardest part of the journey had been thus far, she said, “Being honest, beating myself up. I really want to do a good job. I do see improvement in my riding but I think because I care so much about the horses, I make it that much harder on myself.”

As fort he most enjoyable part, Rowland said, “Working with the horses and getting paid to do something I would probably do for free! I absolutely love the horses. Winning a race is always the best feeling, especially meaningful wins like the other day [for trainer Michael Dini]. Mike has helped me out so much, [it] was absolutely amazing to win a race in New York.”

Now a finalist in the Newcomer division for the Oct. 14 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, Rowland looks to have a big month ahead.

“It's so awesome. Horses have always been such a huge part of my life,” she said. “I don't know where I'd be without them. They have taught me so much about work ethic, discipline, and really how to care of these animals and put them before ourselves. That's what you have to do in this business. And it means so much to be nominated for an award like this to show horsemanship. It's not just about winning races–it's about caring for these amazing animals who are trying so hard for us.”

With a weekend of rides coming up at the Meadowlands, seven entries over both days, Rowland shares the hopes of many of us along the Mid-Atlantic after a week of less-than-ideal weather.

“I just hope we run [on the turf],” she laughed. “We've had so much rain this week. We'll see how it goes. The horses are all in good spots so I'm hopeful [for my chances].”

And once the action slows down up north, Rowland looks forward to returning to her south Florida roots.

“That track [Tampa Bay Downs] will always be my favorite just because I've done so well there. I love their turf and the people there. There's very kind people that want to help you, and the racing is really good and competitive. I'll drive back to down to Tampa [Bay Downs] in the beginning of November for the meet there that starts at the end of the month.”

Click here to view Rowland's TIEA video.

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The five remaining all-turf cards following tonight's program will take place Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 22 with the exception of Saturday, Oct. 15, when Far Hills will feature its 101st steeplechase meet.

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Denver, 60, is the founder of Equi-Photo, which currently shoots the races and provides winner's circle photographs at Monmouth Park, the Meadowlands Thoroughbred meet, Parx, and Penn National.

Separate from his work at East Coast tracks, Denver has previously freelanced for college athletic departments and numerous newspapers, including the New York Daily News, and he also shoots for corporate clients that range from hospitals to power plants. His nearly five-decade portfolio includes everything from space shuttle launches to the Triple Crown.

In an interview that has been edited for clarity and brevity, Denver began by telling how he had to travel far from his Jersey roots before coming back home to find his professional calling.

TDN: How did you first become interested in photography?

BD: I really got into it on a cross-country bicycle trip I did back when I was 22 years old. I rode a bike from my home in New Jersey with the intention of going straight across to Oregon. But when I got out to western Wyoming, I headed up through Yellowstone, then decided to go up to Glacier National Park. I continued on, crossing the Continental Divide eight times, believe it or not.

And then I went into Canada, and kept going through to British Columbia, then down to Seattle. I eventually did end up down in Oregon. Then I just said, “Ah, I'll just keep going,” so I went all the way to San Francisco. It ended up being 5,000 miles in two months. And I took a lot of photos, all across America–a great way to see the country.

TDN: Once you got bitten by the photography bug, how did it lead you to the track?

BD: I grew up in Rumson, right near Monmouth Park. I had gone there with my parents when I was a kid, and I just thought it would be a neat place to work. So in 1984, I went over to see [track photographer] Jim Raftery of Turfotos, and he ended up hiring me.

But Jim ended up hiring me to work at Atlantic City Race Course, even though I actually wanted to work at Monmouth. At that time, back in the early 1980s, Monmouth ran on weekends in April. So he brought me in for two weekends to train me, and then he said, “OK, you're in charge–at Atlantic City,” where Turfotos also shot.

So I kind of got thrown into the frying pan down at Atlantic City. It was night racing, five nights a week, and then I would help Jim at Monmouth for the bigger races. It was like a 90-mile drive, but Jim used to have a camper he would haul up from Florida and leave in Atlantic City, and I would stay in that. Then in the winters, I would go down and help out at Hialeah and Gulfstream.

In 1988, I took over at Monmouth. Then Meadowlands followed. And then Suffolk Downs, from 1992 until 2001. Then I did Gulfstream from 1995 until 2007. That was the year that my son, Ryan, was entering high school. And I figured that was enough of being away all the time.

TDN: And now Ryan has followed you into the business, sharing the workload at Monmouth. How old was he when he first showed an interest?

BD: He's been doing this for years, way before Monmouth hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2007. My daughter, Jessica, also helped for many years, but she's a mom now, so she really isn't involved anymore. Ryan started out when he was nine, and he's been doing it on and off for years–he's 28 now. I'll just never forget him helping out during the massive rainstorms during that '07 Breeders' Cup, just drying cameras and equipment, non-stop.

I was asked in 2017 to join the Eclipse Sportswire team that shoots at the Breeders' Cup. And then Ryan got asked the next year, so we both have been able to shoot that event together the last few years. Ryan's been doing really well and is enjoying it.

TDN: About those the monsoon conditions at Monmouth's first and only Breeders' Cup–how does a professional photographer work under such adverse elements?

BD: Your strategy changes. Obviously, it goes from having a plethora of ideas of where you're going to shoot to, “What's the most important shot and how do I keep the cameras working?” That's the main thing. It just was finish line, winner's circle, dry the cameras in the scale house. I just got stuck out there. If you don't keep those cameras dry, they're going to fail on you, and you don't want to miss anything shooting the Breeders' Cup.

TDN: You've now been shooting trackside for nearly 40 years. What have been the big game-changers in photography during that span?

BD: It all does come back to the transition from film to digital photography, whether it be in the printing or the editing. Or in the way we save photos–we don't have boxes of negatives anymore. It's all on hard drives, which makes it more mobile.

I'm finding that the ability to do things remotely is great–like if I don't go out to Penn one night, I can just check in with my staff and see the photos, or even post them on social media from our archives. That's something you could never do years ago. I think of way back when, we used to transport a whole, full-color darkroom down to Florida and back on a U-Haul.

TDN: Conveniences aside, do you ever pine for the aesthetics of film photography? I know some photographers say film produces richer prints with better color and contrast.

BD: I don't really feel that way. If I go out in the morning, it really doesn't matter if it's film or digital to me. Digital makes it a lot easier to see what you're getting, and you get a lot more shots. You can go right back [to the office] and see it on a screen. So that makes life easier. I see a lot of photographers now who are shooting film, but they end up scanning it anyway to try and do a digital image. I don't really see any disadvantage with digital as far as that's concerned.

TDN: How much of your time is spent managing Equi-Photo versus actually shooting? What's the ideal balance?

BD: Obviously, I have to manage the business, but I do still get out and shoot a lot. I always wish I had more time to shoot. But I keep a pretty good balance; the exact ratio I'm not sure of. I do go out and shoot a lot of races, edit a lot of photos, and things like that when it comes to publicity.

That's one of the things I want to stress: We've always made it a point, right from the beginning, how important it is to publicize racing and to publicize the tracks we work for. So we're always sending out photos with captions, whether it's a stakes race or just something interesting. We've also started to do that on our social media as well.

It can't be done without a good crew. We also have teams of two at Parx and Penn. They all understand what needs to be done–what the horsemen need, what the track needs, everything from action shots to marketing to win photos.

TDN: Photographers see things differently from the rest of us. What goes through your mind when you're prowling trackside for shots?

BD: That's something we try to do every day–get something artistic, try to see something that other people don't see, or from an angle that they can't see it, and get a good photo of it. But at the same time, it's just as important nowadays to edit. When you go back and look at those images, you really have to take your time and find the right one. You might end up in the editing process selecting a photo that isn't your best shot. You're looking for good light, emotion, and good action.

TDN: Today everyone with a smart phone has a fairly powerful camera with them for a day at the races. But the average joe can't access the restricted areas open only to credentialed photographers. Any advice for hobbyists who want to get good shots from the track apron or grandstand?

BD: Just find your own spot. There are so many great angles at racetracks that you don't have to go where the professional photographers are to get nice, beautiful pictures of horses the whole length of the track. And with today's phone cameras, you have the luxury of being able to take lots and lots of shots. Keep shooting. The more you shoot, the better you get. Just keep learning.

TDN: What's in your portfolio that stands out?

BD: I've got a few shots that I'm most proud of. I've got one from the 1997 [GII] Fountain of Youth [S.], with Shane Sellers on his way back after winning with Pulpit. The horse was covered in mud, and right as Shane reached forward to kiss him on the neck, Pulpit kind of bowed his head a little bit and the shot came out really nice.

And in 2010, Lookin At Lucky was here at Monmouth getting ready for the Haskell. I just got a great shot of him covered in soap while being bathed by his groom, Roberto Luna. Those were two that really stood out as memories.

TDN: To wrap it up, let's say you have a day off with no obligations. You can just grab a camera and go shoot, anywhere. Where do you go

BD: I'd go to the backstretch and get some good photos with the early morning light. That would be my preferable day-off thing to do.

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