The country’s oldest horse racing track, Freehold Raceway, will stop operating Dec. 28. The half-mile track in Monmouth County, N.J.,, which opened in 1854, featured live racing for trotters and pacers, as well as simulcasting of races elsewhere.
“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,” track general manager Howard Bruno said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the operations of the racetrack cannot continue under existing conditions, and we do not see a plausible way forward.”
Freehold was acquired in 1998 by a joint venture of Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing, which also owns Parx Casino and Racing in Bensalem, Pa.
Freehold Mayor Kevin Kane said there had been persistent rumors that the track was in trouble.
“The raceway has a long and storied history in the Borough of Freehold but faced with declining interest in standardbred harness racing, the raceway’s fortunes went into a long, slow decline. Management seemed disinterested in promoting or marketing the venue and failed to capitalize on the advent of sports betting in New Jersey,” he stated.
Harness racing continues in New Jersey at the Meadowlands, which also has a short thoroughbred racing meet in conjunction with Monmouth Park, which offers thoroughbred racing through the summer.
Freehold is the third track to close in New Jersey since 2001, when Garden State in Cherry Hill shut down. Atlantic City Racecourse shuttered in 2016.