Freehold Raceway Announced It Will Take Its Last Bet This Week
The oldest racing track in the country, Freehold Raceway will be shutting down on December 28th, 2024 for the final lap. Racetrack officials announced the closure last week. According to many reports, it was years of financial struggles and a lack of investment from its ownership. On the racetracks’ website, the birthplace of Freehold Raceway goes back to December 1853 when the Monmouth County Society was formed to hold an annual fair with racing in the Township of Freehold. Here is what they had to say on the closing.
“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,” general manager Howard Bruno said in a press release on Sept. 19 announcing the closing of the half-mile racetrack. “Unfortunately, the operations of the racetrack cannot continue under existing conditions, and we do not see a plausible way forward. We are incredibly thankful for our dedicated employees, horsemen, and fan base for their support over the years.”
Gotts’ Thoughts On This
This is going to be a rough one, just because I would love to take an afternoon to shoot over to Freehold Raceway and put some money down on the track. I remember a sunny day, we were at Freehold Raceway Mall and decided to stop over to see the ponies go around the track, and believe it or not I won money.
Now I never win anything, so it was cool to walk out of there with more money than I walked in with. Just hearing this news I’m in complete shock, and hopefully, we can get some more harness races in some place around our area soon.
Thank you for taking the time out to check this story out and as always rocking out with me and 95.9 The Rat. You can always get more stories from me by clicking right HERE. Much LOVE and CHEERS. – Gotts
