Freehold Raceway to close at end of 2024

Freehold Raceway, a New Jersey harness track with 170 years of history, will close at the end of the year, according to a notice sent by the track’s parent company to employees and a later announcement.

The notice, which was obtained by Daily Racing Form, states that the employees will be laid off as of Dec. 28, the last day of racing for Freehold’s 2024 meet. The notice was sent by the track’s general manager, Howard Bruno, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement released by the track after it notified employees of the closing, the track’s parent company said that it would “cease all live racing and simulcast operations” at the track on the same date. Freehold is open seven days a week for both harness and Thoroughbred simulcasting.

“This was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical importance of Freehold Raceway to the local community and the New Jersey horse racing industry,” Bruno said in the statement. “Unfortunately, the operations of the racetrack cannot continue under existing conditions, and we do not see a plausible way forward.”

Freehold is one of two harness tracks in New Jersey, along with the Meadowlands. The track is owned by a partnership including Penn National, a national casino and racetrack company, and Greenwood Racing, the owner of Parx Racing outside of Philadelphia.

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Chris McErlean, Penn National’s vice president of racing, declined to comment beyond the press release.

Freehold receives a portion of an annual $10 million purse subsidy from the New Jersey government. The remainder, approximately $8.5 million, is allocated to the Meadowlands. Earlier this week, the New Jersey state legislature authorized the subsidy through 2029.

The Meadowlands is owned by Jeff Gural, a real-estate developer, casino owner, and horse owner. On Thursday morning, Gural said that the Meadowlands would consider running additional dates because of the Freehold announcement.

“I think we could, assuming we get their portion of the subsidy,” Gural said via email. “But we lose a lot of money on racing, so [I would] need to analyze it.”

Freehold had pared its live racing calendar since being purchased by Greenwood in 1999 for $46 million. The track is scheduled to hold a total of 85 days of racing this year, the same as it ran in 2023. It has already held 52 days of racing this year.

Freehold also operates two offtrack betting locations under the name Favorites, in Toms River and Gloucester. The OTBs will be closed because the licenses for the facilities are tied to Freehold’s racing license.

– additional reporting by Derick Giwner

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