New Jersey Racing Commission | Horse Racing Free Tips

NJ Commission Suspends Cobb

Amber Cobb, the Thoroughbred owner and trainer who in 2021 had her Delaware licensure revoked through 2022 for “still participating in horse racing while under suspension” for “improper or inhumane treatment” of a horse, had her New Jersey licensure suspended and was fined $11,000 in a June 7, 2023, ruling issued by the racing commission in that state.

It was unclear at deadline for this story if Cobb, 35, planned an appeal.

The New Jersey ruling cited violations related to Cobb's training base at Westampton Farms in Westampton, New Jersey, between January and March 2021.

The ruling stated that Cobb “did possess hypodermic needles and syringes on the grounds of the licensed off-track stabling facility; did possess six injectable bottles of foreign substances, including four injectable bottles of prescription legend drugs on the grounds of the licensed off-track stabling facility,” and did strike one of the horses under her care “with a pitchfork, causing the horse to rear up and flip over on its back, leaving the horse in distress and unable to move.”

An initial 60-day suspension in Delaware stemmed from the same horse-striking incident, which was captured on a video recorded by a stable employee.

The New Jersey ruling stated Cobb was a no-show at her March 20, 2023, hearing. Her previous Delaware revocation was also the result of skipping a post-suspension hearing in which she was summoned to “answer to complaints and allegations of past abuse and neglect of horses in her care.”

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New Jersey Racing Commission Rescinds Whip Ban

Monmouth Park jockeys will once again be allowed to use their whips to encourage their mounts when the meet kicks off May 7.

The change was made during a special hearing held Friday by the New Jersey Racing Commission, which voted to rescind rules that were put in place prior to the 2021 Monmouth meeting that allowed whipping only in cases where it was needed for safety reasons. New Jersey was the only state in the country where whipping was banned.

Monmouth's whipping rules were set to change July 1, when the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) goes into effect. At that time, HISA rules will replace state racing commission rules throughout the country and the HISA whip rules allow for six overhand strikes. In addition, jockeys may tap the horse on the shoulder unlimited times if both their hands are on the reins.

Monmouth management went to the racing commission and asked it to overturn the whipping ban, arguing that it did not make sense to have the rules change in the middle of the meet.

The commission agreed, voting by a 5-1 margin to go with the HISA rules starting with opening day. Lawrence DeMarzo was the only commissioner not to vote to end the whipping ban.

“This is better than it was,” said Terry Meyocks, the president of the Jockeys' Guild, which had been staunchly against the whip ban, arguing that it raised safety concerns for the riders. “It's a safety issue. It's not subjective. They have to take into consideration what the jocks have been saying.”

As part of its argument, Monmouth cited handle figures for the 2021 meet in which daily average handle fell by 17.13%, which raised concern that some bettors stayed away from Monmouth because they weren't comfortable with the new rules.

To enforce the HISA whipping rules, Monmouth will establish a three-person committee of racing officials who will review races to make sure the jockeys are in compliance. If they are not, the penalties will be severe. First-time violators will forfeit their share of the purse, will be fined $500 and receive a three-day suspension. Second-time offenders will lose the purse money, be fined $2,500 and suspended for seven days. Anyone violating the rule a third time will lose the purse money, be fined $5,000 and banned for the remainder of the meet.

It was revealed during the hearing that the racing commission received more than 80 telephone calls asking it to keep the whip ban in place. Many of the callers told the commission they received texts or emails from PETA asking them to call the commission.

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Monmouth Appeals to Racing Commission to Amend Whipping Rules

With new regulations regarding whipping set to go into effect throughout the country on July 1 when the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) takes effect, management at Monmouth Park has asked the New Jersey Racing Commission to adopt the more lenient HISA rules when the meet opens May 7.

The story was first reported by the Asbury Park Press.

At the start of the 2021 meet controversial rules were put in place by the New Jersey Racing Commission that banned the practice of whipping horses to encourage them to run. While restrictions on the use of the whip were in place in several states, New Jersey was the only jurisdiction that banned the use of the whip outright.

On July 1, that is set to change when HISA rules will supercede regulations put in place by state racing commissions. The HISA rules allow a jockey to strike a horse six times a race but no more than twice in succession. With the rules set to change some seven weeks into the meet, Monmouth is asking the racing commission to put the HISA rules in place at the start of the meet. Track management has requested that the commission hold a special meeting to discuss the matter.

“I think we have a very good chance of getting this done,” Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of the management company that operates Monmouth, told the Press. “It doesn't make sense to have different rules to start the meet and switch midstream.”

Several jockeys raised objections to the rule last year, arguing that the whip was needed for safety purposes. While most decided to ride at the meet, 13-time Monmouth champion Joe Bravo refused to ride and relocated to California. Antonio Gallardo also cited the rule when announcing he was leaving Monmouth to ride at Woodbine.

From a pari-mutuel wagering standpoint, Monmouth did not have a particularly strong 2021 meet, which raised the possibility that some bettors shied away from the Monmouth product because of the whipping ban.

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New Jersey Trainer Hit With Two-Year Suspension After Horse Dies of Clenbuterol Overdose

Trainer Cody Axmaker has been handed two consecutive one-year suspensions and fined $5,000 by the New Jersey Racing Commission after a horse he trained named Wishful (Storm Wolf) died on or about May 9 at Monmouth Park due to an apparent overdose of Clenbuterol. He was suspended one year for possessing a prohibited substance in Clenbuterol and a second year for failing “in his duty as trainer to protect and guard the horse Wishful against the administration of the prohibited substance.”

The suspension is set to begin May 7, 2022 and continue through May 6, 2024 and comes after Axmaker appeared before the Monmouth Park stewards Dec. 7. Axmaker has appealed the decision.

The story was first reported by the Blood-Horse.

Axmaker has maintained that the incident was an accident and the result of a container of Clenbuterol being mislabeled as aloe vera. According to the ruling from the New Jersey Racing Commission, Axmaker instructed a stable employee to administer aloe vera to the horse Wishful on or about May 4, 2021. The commission maintains that Wishful died about five days later as a result of the Clenbuterol overdose.

Axmaker said that Wishful was not the only horse accidently given the Clenbuterol and that the others recovered.

Maintaining his innocence, Axmaker took to Facebook to explain his side of the story.

“Sometimes accidents happens and, unfortunately, a life was lost because of it,” his Facebook post begins. “Anyone that knows me knows my horses are like my family to me and the last thing I want to do is hurt them.”

He continued: “Last May I headed for Monmouth which was an 18hr straight haul. I had half of my stable already there with two of my employees. We unloaded my horse trailer as the rain was falling. We had a group of people unloading my belongings into the tack rooms. A container of clenbuterol I used at other tracks to clean up lungs I had stored in my horse trailer was accidentally unloaded and later that evening was misjudged for aloe Vera juice by one of my employees as I left them responsible for feed time that day. Which I never do, but after an 18hr straight haul all you want to do is rest. One of my 15 horses who received this ended up colicing and was treated heavily for days and later lost her life because of this. I feel horrible this all happened as my employee who administrated it did as well. Now I'm facing the consequences of a two year sentence and a $5k fine for a complete accident I did not commit! Just so all you know the truth.”
Clenbuterol is among the more controversial drugs in the sport. It can be used to deal with respiratory problems, but also has properties that act like steroids.

Axmaker, 33, is currently racing at Tampa Bay Downs. He has 117 career wins and was 1-for-38 last year at Monmouth.

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