Joining a capacity crowd for the final card at the historic New Jersey track.

by Debbie Little

Saturday (Dec. 28) started out overcast in Central New Jersey, and the heavy rain made one think that Mother Nature herself was sad to witness the end of Freehold Raceway.

An umbrella may have been sometimes needed, but at least the temperature of 47 degrees at the start of the card was a little above the average high for the end of the year in the Tri-State Area.

It was apparent that the precipitation didn’t stop many fans from paying their last respects at what some called a “funeral” for Freehold. For the first time in recent memory, a local police officer was stationed on Park Avenue to stop traffic so fans could cross the street to the track entrance from the parking lot.

What many in attendance may not have known was that less than an hour prior to the 12:30 p.m. scheduled post time, the possibility of cancelling was slightly more than 50/50 due to the condition of the track.

The early plan was to see how the first race went and then have a drivers’ meeting, but since the footing improved, no formal discussion was deemed necessary.

The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the long-time fans or first timers alike, who were all there to witness Freehold’s final bow.

This was the first time at Freehold for Walter Wlodarczyk, who grew up nearby in Sayreville, NJ. He was one of several award-winning photographers in attendance.

“I wanted to see the track once and document the races, even if just for myself,” Wlodarczyk said. “As someone new to the sport and who also hadn’t been [to Freehold], I tried to learn what I could and take photographs without being in the way. It’s always a bit tricky, as it was when I went to Pompano and knew basically no one. But the photos always find a way to be helpful.”

Like Wlodarczyk, USTA media relations manager Ken Weingartner was at Freehold just as a fan.

Weingartner attended his first harness race before he could walk, when his dad, Bruce, took him to the half-mile track in a stroller.

“I just wanted to be there,” Weingartner said. “I have a lot of memories, especially with ‘The Old Man.’ And my wife had never been.”

No matter where you went on Closing Day, you were greeted by a line. They were more than 30 deep waiting to buy a program, while both the Sabrett hot dog cart and pari-mutuel tellers had crowds of their own. By far the busiest betting window of the day belonged to 93-year-old Duke Burke. Apparently, there is no substitute for experience.

When it was announced in late September that Freehold would be closing its doors on Dec. 28, the first person to book reservations in the track’s Renaissance Dining Room was John Polvinale, the founder of the Facebook group Harness Racing History (HRH).

With over 46,000 members, HRH has grown into one of harness racing’s most popular sites where people share their memories, knowledge and enjoyment of the sport.

Polvinale had booked 60 seats in the dining room, but it quickly became clear that his calculations were off.

“Within a week [of posting about the gathering] I had about 125 folks [interested],” Polvinale said.

The HRH gathering, which included several prominent horsepeople from over the years at Freehold, including long-time driver colony king Cat Manzi, ended up taking place in the third floor Directors Room with pizza and bottles of water, thanks to a generous contribution made by the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey. HRH member Barry McPherson, a wiz with signs and photo collages, made something appropriate to thank the SBOANJ.

The gathering was important to Polvinale not just because of the group’s shared history at Freehold, but because most of the people in the group had never met in person before. They even had one member fly in from California.

“It’s a great surprise to see all these people,” said Polvinale of the attendance at the HRH gathering. “I hope they all come down to the winner’s circle.”

By the penultimate race on the card, the rain had temporarily subsided, so when HRH went out for their presentation, there was quite a crowd on the macadam.

Polvinale had said he felt his final number might be less because, at the last minute, sometimes people end up unable to attend. But for anyone who saw that group in the winner’s circle, it appeared the final number was more than he thought as the track photographer practically backed up onto the infield to fit the entire group in, since many had to stand in the mud on the track.

Prior to the start of Freehold’s Final Mile, track announcer Larry Fox implored the crowd to cheer as the field came down the stretch for the final time, but the fans did more than that, as they also raised their voices as the field passed in front of the stands approaching the half.

All day, in between the races, Fox had been sharing facts about the iconic track that he had painstakingly compiled. But after the field hit the wire for the final time, with an instrumental version of Auld Lang Syne playing in the background, Fox got a little choked up delivering one final speech.

Several of Freehold’s current drivers joined winning reinsman Johnathan Ahle and T’s Raider II in the winner’s circle after The Final Mile was complete.

Winning that last race in front of that crowd was special for Ahle who also got his very first win at Freehold.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Ahle said of the size of the crowd. “You would think it was Hambo Day at Freehold.”

Ahle is now forever linked to Freehold as the answer to the trivia question: “Who won the last race contested at Freehold Raceway?”

“It’s too bad they didn’t try to promote it more before it was too late,” Ahle said. “It just seems like there were things they could have done to try to help it, but that’s beside the point.”

Maddy, a member of HRH, wrote a poem about Freehold that said in part:

Freehold Raceway has History and Soul

Sad to see that Nostalgic look on so many faces

So many enjoyed being part of the Afternoon Delight

Saying Goodbye to an old friend is not easy

Thanks to all of you

that played a part here

Farewell Freehold Raceway

Here’s to you and the Last Race