New Jersey horsemen still face a difficult situation once the Meadowlands concludes its meeting on Nov. 18. With Garden State Park management not intending to request 2001 thoroughbred dates, there may not be any stabling in the state until late April, when Monmouth re-opens its backstretch.
Robert J. Kulina, vice president of Thoroughbred racing for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, said a recent report that the NJSEA was intending to close the Monmouth Park stable area Sept. 22--a week earlier than planned--was false."We're keeping it open until Sept. 29, as originally planned," said Kulina. More than 900 horses are currently domiciled on the backstretch of the Oceanport track. Most of those horses ship north to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford for its nighttime program.
