After finishing the articles by Debbie Little and The Meadowlands’ press department regarding the suddenly dire picture of racing at The Meadowlands, I can’t help but need to vent. I love The Meadowlands and only bet and watch races there unless I’m on vacation. So I stipulate I want the track to be around as long as I am, but I can’t handle year after year of the same rhetoric from management. Once again, we’ve been given the two-to-three year countdown to Armageddon. All year, nearly every week of live racing produces a $3 million handle press release touting strong business. I can’t count the number of those released last year, but now we find out they’re utterly meaningless. Suddenly, the track is on the chopping block again.

Watching The Meadowlands die this way is painful. At least Freehold ripped the Band-Aid off quickly out of nowhere. The state already subsidizes purses so asking or trying to ransom them for more doesn’t seem all that feasible. As for the casino, I’m one who believes it will never happen and if it does how much of a boon will it provide? With casinos in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Atlantic City, and possibly three in the New York City area, how much more can be squeezed out not to mention the shady politics that will go down in licensing? The fact that the casino has to be voted on makes it nearly impossible to pass. The amount of money that will come from other companies protecting their turf will be impossible to overcome for one entity. Most importantly, though, is the fact that even if a casino is approved it has to be run by The Meadowlands or they will have to close the track anyway. Thus, a casino could literally be built on top of The Meadowlands and the track will still close according to Debbie Little’s article. If allowed to open, the state of New Jersey will salivate on the bidding between casino companies. Even Gural doesn’t have enough money or clout to out-bid a Genting or MGM, etc.

As for now, it’s true that COVID has significantly impacted the track. As an on-track spectator the dimming crowds are true. Same goes for FanDuel, although I’m not a sports bettor. However, since we know some of the issues why not at least try switching things up? If the crowds are smaller reduce staff where possible. Stop taking in weak betting signals. I wish I had a better answer. I would say run more during the winter when fields are overflowing and not run in June or post Hambletonian when all the horses are at other stakes races along with all the top drivers. I would restart the harness meet after the Breeders Crown. Why not run Saturday double headers for the Freehold horsemen who were devastated by the tracks sudden closure in January and February? Until Pocono reopens (and no one bets them) why not be the only track running on a Saturday afternoon? Stupidly, I don’t think I’ve seen any track decide to run Saturday afternoons, outside of The Meadows, once.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Christopher Fenty / Mount Kisco, NY

Post time drag is an insult to horseplayers

The Meadowlands’ handle is $3 million a night and Jeff is still crying, “Someone told me recently, he said, ‘Jeff, think about it. Racing would be the equivalent of having a casino where the slot machines work for two minutes and then you shut them down for 22 minutes, and then they work for two minutes and then you shut them down.’”

He said racing at The Meadowlands is like a slot machine where you put your money in at zero minutes to post and then wait 6-10 minutes before the wheels spin. The excessive dragging of the post time is annoying, and an insult to every horseplayer.

H. Earl Paulson / New Hyde Park, NY