We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our friend, colleague and mentor John Forbes.

Born to a family of horsemen, John was the consummate horseman. He was old-school. He was devoted to the horse, the industry and its people. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He demanded of the industry that which he expected of himself—honesty, integrity, hard work and an unrelenting determination to protect the health, safety and welfare of the horse, the integrity of our sport and the welfare of those who worked on the backstretch. He was a generous, compassionate and decent man. He was beloved and respected by everyone who knew and worked with him.

In 1987, John asked his friend Alan Foreman to help form a new horsemen's organization that would be progressive and strengthen the voice of horsemen in the industry. Rick Violette joined the effort thereafter and the THA was born. But for John, there would not be a THA, and the record of the THA's impact on the industry can easily be measured since that time. There is not an issue involving the health, safety and welfare of the horse and the integrity of our sport that doesn't have John's fingerprints on it. In recognition of his lifetime of service to horsemen, the industry and the THA, we proudly honored him with our President's Award in 2018.

Just as important, John was a giant in New Jersey racing. He loved Monmouth Park and was devoted to its survival and success. He was New Jersey's greatest trainer, and when he retired from training, did what he could to ensure Monmouth's survival, including constructing and operating a world-renowned miniature golf course on the property that hosted 2 US Opens and earned him a spot in the Pro Mini Golf Hall of Fame. We think it fair to say that but for John Forbes, there would be no Thoroughbred racing industry in New Jersey.

Our deepest condolences to Vicki, John T, Anne and Carrie, his colleagues Mike Musto and Dennis Drazin, his trainer/partner Pat McBurney and his multitude of friends. We will miss him and pledge to honor his memory.

The post NJTHA Issues Statement on Forbes’s Passing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The settlement was reached out of court and entered into the record this week by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Freda Wolfson.

The escrow bond had originally been designed to cover revenue losses for a one-month period when Monmouth was subject to a court injunction barring sports betting at the start of the civil case.

In exchange for getting the bond amount, NJTHA will decline to pursue the case any farther.

Read more at Thoroughbred Daily News

The post New Jersey Horsemen Settle $150 Million Sports Betting Case For $3.4 Million appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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According to the three-page “stipulation and order” signed Monday by United States District Court (New Jersey) Chief Judge Freda Wolfson, in exchange for ending its legal pursuit for more money, the NJTHA will be entitled to collect on a $3.4-million escrow bond posted by the leagues back in 2014 when the leagues first tried to block Monmouth Park’s initial attempt at getting sports betting up and running.

That was four years before the May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal law that had prohibited sports betting in all but a few grandfathered states.

Soon after that 2018 Supreme Court ruling, the NJTHA-run Monmouth opened for legalized sports betting. But the NJTHA continued to chase after the money that had been placed in escrow back in 2014 to cover a one-month period when the case was first being adjudicated.

That pursuit for damages above the bond amount seemed to be emboldened when a September 2019 decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals (Third Circuit) panel of judges ruled that because Monmouth had initially been unlawfully subjected to a no-sports-betting injunction for 28 days in 2014, it had been “wrongfully enjoined” because it “had a right all along to do what was enjoined when the leagues first tried to block sports betting.”

The NJTHA then claimed in court filings that it was entitled to damages of $150 million, far higher than the amount that had been escrowed. The association’s argument was that it got wrongfully shut out of sports betting for four years, not the original four weeks that the escrow period covered.

The post NJ Horsemen Settle With Sports Leagues for $3.4M, Far Below Sought-After $150M appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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On May 14, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, allowing sports wagering to commence in states like New Jersey.

The leagues had set aside $3.4 million in an injunction bond for the case, covering the 28-day period of the restraining order, but the NJTHA was seeking up to $150 million in “bad faith” damages for being unable to hold sports wagering from October of 2014 to May of 2018.

While Judge Wolfson is prepared to consider awarding horsemen the $3.4 million amount of the bond, pending a hearing to determine “provable damages,” she will not consider the “bad faith” damages claim at this time.

Read more at bloodhorse.com.

The post Judge Rules Against NJTHA’s Case Seeking ‘Bad Faith’ Damages From Sports Leagues appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NJTHA) and track management at the Meadowlands have come to a mutual decision not to convert the facility’s main dirt track from a Standardbred to a Thoroughbred setup for 19 already-allotted Friday and Saturday dates between Oct. 2 and Dec. 5.

Under an agreement reached last year, dual-surface Thoroughbred racing was to be conducted at the Meadowlands for the first time since 2009. After hosting only Standardbred races in 2010 and 2011, the Meadowlands resumed Thoroughbred races in 2012, but in a turf-only fashion for mini-meets limited to only a few dates.

The New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) voted 4-0 to approve the 2020 change at its teleconference meeting on Wednesday.

The reasoning given, as read into the record by NJRC executive director Judith Nason, is that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a loss of racing dates for both breeds in New Jersey and eroded the NJTHA purse account that funds the Meadowlands Thoroughbred meet.

Technically, the NJTHA postponed its contractual right to convert the dirt surface, Nason said. She added that both parties explored the idea of alternating races of both breeds on Fridays and Saturdays this autumn (turf only for Thoroughbreds). They also discussed having one breed race days while the other raced nights over that time period, but neither party wanted the less-lucrative afternoon time slot.

Instead, the harness season will continue at the Meadowlands during the vacated Thoroughbred dates, giving the Standardbred horsemen the opportunity to make up their lost programs.

Dennis Drazin, the chairman and chief executive of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park, left open the possibility that the NJTHA could tack on some of the scrapped Meadowlands dates to the end of the current Monmouth Park meet, which runs through Sep. 27. The season was supposed to start May 2, but Monmouth did not open until July 3.

“I think it’s premature to have that discussion right now. Certainly we have considered that factor,” Drazin said. “Depending upon what happens, if we had extra purse money, we may consider adding a couple of days during October. But at the present time we do not have such intention.”

Drazin explained that the NJTHA’s revenue projections for the virus-delayed Monmouth meet were originally based upon the fact that no fans would be permitted at the track because of health concerns.

But now, Drazin explained, “We have a limited amount of fans, and it looks like our numbers, projection-wise, may be better than we originally anticipated.”

Drazin continued: “We’re still weak on our in-house numbers, which is where we get the 20% [takeout] blend instead of the export, which is more like 5%. But the exports have held up, and we’re hoping that by the time we get to the end of the meet, there might be some additional money so that…there’s a possibility [of adding dates]. But I wouldn’t want to tell anybody that we are definitely going to do it and disappoint them later on.”

Nason said the NJRC still considers the NJTHA’s racing permit for the Meadowlands to be “active,” which leaves open the possibility of a future Thoroughbred meet at the Meadowlands.

Drazin also asked the commission to consider Monmouth’s days lost during the pandemic to be because of an “act of God” so that the missed May and June dates count toward the state-required minimum of 50 dates. But Nason said that written request was not received in time to be placed on the July 15 agenda. It will be taken up in September after the NJRC’s attorneys review it.

For several years, Drazin has been pushing for a longer meet at the Meadowlands that includes dirt racing. The sticking point has always been the estimated $1-million cost of converting the track. But last November Drazin told TDN that he and Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural reached an agreement that covers the costs.

“In my estimation, and people can disagree, I don’t think there is a really strong night signal out there at that time of year on regular basis that bettors can follow,” Drazin told TDN last November. “The night signal at the Meadowlands, if you do it right and build on it, it’s not going to be amazing year one. But over a five- to 10-year period it can grow to a point where it’s a meaningful portion of our revenue scheme here in New Jersey.”

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