A drastic increase in purses, bolstered by the introduction of sports betting and state subsidies, welcomes horsemen back to the Jersey Shore for Monmouth's 61-day meet that got underway Saturday. The track will also house an array of new trainers as officials celebrated the re-opening of the Oceanport oval in a press event Tuesday.
A stakes schedule featuring 64 races, including 12 graded and 15 new to the calendar, worth $7.1 million awaits racing fans at the 74th summer stand at Monmouth. The meet centerpiece, the $1-million TVG.com Haskell Invitational, will be held July 20, moving to Saturday from its usual Sunday slot. The other Grade I at the meet, the United Nations S., will take place June 22.
Purse money is expected to average $500,000 daily, compared to last year's average of around $325,000 for a 52-day meet which distributed approximately $4.3 million for stakes.
On the backstretch, GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks-winning trainer John Servis will return to Monmouth for 2019 after a lengthy absence. The veteran conditioner, Parx-based since starting his career in 1984, will have a string of 30 horses at Monmouth, the first time since the early 1990s that he's had a significant presence at the track.
“The purse structure was very appealing to me,” Servis said. “I like the stakes schedule, too. It fits a lot of the horses I have. I've always enjoyed being at Monmouth Park. You'll see me there a lot more. I'll be back and forth between Parx and Monmouth a couple of times a week.”
In addition, Todd Pletcher has requested 54 stalls following a one-year hiatus from the track. Among trainers calling Monmouth home for the first time this meet are Kelsey Danner, Jorge Duarte, Jeff Englehart, Raymond Handal, Michelle Nihei and Christopher Seale. The top five trainers from last year's meet–Jorge Navarro, Jason Servis, Kelly Breen, Chad Brown and Patrick McBurney–are all back.
The leading jockeys from the past three seasons–Jose Ferrer (2018), Nik Juarez (2017) and Paco Lopez (2016)–all return, along with top riders Antonio Gallardo and Trevor McCarthy, who won the Cliff Hanger S. with Hawkish (Artie Schiller) on the opening-day card. Newcomer Reylu Gutierrez will be part of the riding mix as well.
The addition of sports betting to Monmouth at the William Hill Race & Sports Book was the biggest story of last year's meet, and the facility has added self-service betting kiosks for players. Five new events have also been added to Monmouth's popular promotions schedule.
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