Monmouth Park Horseracing
Monmouth Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The track is often referred to as a racing resort due to its unique elegant and carefully-tended lawns and flowerbeds.
Monmouth Park is home to the $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational, the richest invitational thoroughbred race in North America. Many Triple Crown contenders see action in this prestigious race.
Aside from the Haskell Invitational, other stakes events hosted by Monmouth Park are the Red Bank, the Sapling, the Jersey Derby, the Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes, the Molly Pitcher Breeders' Cup Handicap, the United Nations Handicap, and the Salvator Mile Handicap.
Monmouth Park Records - Dirt Track
| Distance | Horse | Age | Weight | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Furlongs | Feast | 5 | 124 lbs | 0:56.07 | July 31, 2022 |
| 5 ½ Furlongs | Joey P. | 5 | 117 lbs | 1:01.91 | May 12, 2007 |
| 6 Furlongs | Idiot Proof | 3 | 119 lbs | 1:07.47 | July 4, 2007 |
| 1 Mile | Forty Niner | 3 | 114 lbs | 1:33.80 | July 16, 1988 |
| 1 Mile & 70 Yards | Cable Boy | 3 | 116 lbs | 1:38.78 | May 26, 2007 |
| 1 1/16 Miles | Sharp Azteca | 4 | 123 lbs | 1:40.19 | July 30, 2017 |
| 1 1/8 Miles (Haskell) | Cyberknife | 3 | 122 lbs | 1:46.24 | July 23, 2022 |
| 1 ¼ Miles | Carry Back | 4 | 124 lbs | 2:00.40 | July 14, 1962 |
Monmouth Park Records - Turf Course
| Distance | Course Setup / Rail | Horse | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Furlongs | Rail at 36 feet | Caffe D' Oro | 0:54.57 | July 15, 2011 |
| 5 ½ Furlongs | About 5 ½ Furlongs | Bridgetown | 1:00.67 | September 6, 2010 |
| 1 Mile | Rail at 12 feet | Mandurah | 1:31.23 | June 6, 2010 |
| 1 1/16 Miles | Chute | Silent Roar | 1:38.99 | August 5, 2007 |
| 1 1/8 Miles | Main Course | Almanaar (GB) | 1:45.75 | May 25, 2019 |
| 1 3/8 Miles (United Nations) | Main Course | Bigger Picture | 2:10.81 | July 1, 2017 |
| 1 ½ Miles | Rail at 12 feet | L'Imperator (FR) | 2:32.67 | September 10, 2022 |
Monmouth Park Facts
Main TrackThe main track is a 100-foot-wide, one-mile oval with 12 inches of aggregate sand drainage and 12 inches of crushed stone screenings topped off by a 4-inch cushion of sand and topsoil. The topsoil is a mixture of silt, clay and loam.Turf CourseThe turf course is a 90-foot-wide, 7/8 mile oval which is a mixture of four kinds of bluegrass and Manhattan 2 rye grass.Paddock and Walking RingThe paddock is located behind the Clubhouse and consists of a 16-stall oak saddling enclosure leading to the English Walking Ring, where the horses are paraded for the public. This is one of the most picturesque and relaxing areas at Monmouth Park.
Major Milestones in the History of Monmouth Park
1870 - Monmouth Park opened on July 30 amid national fanfare. It was hoped that the new track would usher in fresh wind into the once-bustling shore area of New Jersey.
1873 - Monmouth Park closed down after encountering severe financial difficulties.
1878 - A group of four prominent individuals bought the dormant facility and spent four years rebuilding the track. An additional 160 acres was purchased to create a bigger track.
1882 - Racing at Monmouth Park resumed.
1893 - Wagering on horses was banned by the state. Consequently, Monmouth Park was again closed and the land was sold.
1946 - On June 19, Monmouth Park reopened after intense lobbying for the legalization of pari-mutuel wagering in the state. There was an estimated 18,724 people on hand for opening day.
1950 - Turf racing was held for the first time at Monmouth Park.
1951 - The Molly Pitcher Handicap at was the first race ever to be televised in color.
1952 - The teletimer was introduced.
1961 - Major renovations were undertaken. These renovations included the addition of a 400-seat cafeteria, a new wagering pavilion and additional escalators.
1967 - A one-eighth mile turf chute diagonally across the infield was installed allowing patrons a head-on view of horses approaching the stands. The infield lake was landscaped and the area beautified.
1969 - The first woman to ride at Monmouth Park, Tuesdee Testa, finished second with horse Verbosity in a race on June 9.
1978 - Jockey Don MacBeth won the first of his three straight Monmouth riding titles. Mac Diarmida won the Long Branch Stakes en route to an Eclipse Award as the nation's best turf runner.
1986 - The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority purchased the historic Monmouth Park Jockey Club. Many of the historic stakes races were reinstated; the Monmouth Cup was renamed the Philip H. Iselin Handicap.
1993 - Full card simulcasting took a firm hold, with purses offered at the highest level in the history of the track.
1994 - For the first time, a daily average of more than $3 million was wagered on Monmouth races.
1995 - Monmouth Park celebrates its 50th anniversary season.
1997 - A record-setting Haskell Day highlighted Monmouth Park's successes as on track attendance grew for the third straight season. The Haskell Invitational drew a record crowd of 39,219. Wagering on the event hit an all-time Monmouth Park high of $9.7 million.
2001 - A Haskell Day throng of 47,127 helped raise total annual attendance to 774,500, the highest annual total since 1989.
2007 - Monmouth Park hosted the prestigious Breeders' Cup World Championships for the first time in its history. Over $25 million was invested in facility upgrades to prepare for the event, which was highlighted by Curlin's dominant victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
2012 - The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority leased the track to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, transitioning operations to Darby Development, LLC to secure the track's financial stability.
2015 - Fresh off his historic Triple Crown sweep, American Pharoah won the William Hill Haskell Invitational. The event drew an all-time record crowd of 60,983 fans and generated a track-record total wagering handle of more than $20 million.
2018 - Following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Monmouth Park made sports history on June 14 by accepting the state of New Jersey's very first legal, retail sports bets at its newly established sportsbook.
2020 - Monmouth Park marked its 150th anniversary season since its original 1870 founding. Due to pandemic restrictions, the summer meet was successfully held without spectators alongside a major national broadcasting campaign.
2024 - A historic 85-year lease extension was finalized with Darby Development and JEMB Realty. The landmark agreement secured the long-term future of racing while unlocking plans for a luxury trackside hotel, residential spaces, and a brand-new Caesars Sportsbook facility.