Horse industry alliance makes case for support
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

State Sen. Ellen Karcher (D-Mon-mouth and Mercer) called the Monmouth County municipality of Millstone Township "the most equine-friendly town in New Jersey."

Karcher made the statement at the New Jersey Horse Industry Symposium, held Sept. 20 at Monmouth Park race track in Oceanport. The invitation-only gathering included some of the top politicians in the state, as well as racehorse and pleasure horse breeders, owners and trainers.

Among the speakers at the event were state Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus, Secretary of Com-merce Virginia Bauer, General Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, Assembly members Ronald Dancer, Michael Panter, Jeff Van Drew and Fred Scalera, Assem-blywoman Jennifer Beck, and Sen. Barbara Buono.

Also in attendance were Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, former Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown, Assembly members Sam Thompson and Joe Malone, and Assem-blywoman Joan Voss, among others.

The symposium was organized by a core group of volunteers representing the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horse-men's Association, the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey and the Rutgers Equine Science Center on Rutgers University's Cook College campus in New Brunswick.

This group, now calling itself the New Jersey Horse Industry Alliance, plans to apply for recognition as a nonprofit educational organization. The symposium was its first event.

The group's focus is on the scope of the horse industry and its impact on the state's economy, on traditional agriculture and open space.

Dr. Scott Palmer, owner of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in the Clarksburg section of Millstone, said the strength of the industry lies in its diversity, but that is also its Achilles' heel. He said there are still a number of independent equine groups more concerned with their own interests, but that the people gathered at the symposium did so to develop a plan to define a vision for the industry that includes racing, sport and pleasure horses.

"We need to identify the issues that divide us," he said. "Right now we don't have a plan. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Palmer said horsemen must focus on the quality of their product, and said they need to be united in their mission and goal for the equine industry.

Millstone Township Mayor Nancy Grbelja, who owns several Standard-breds, said it is important to take care of the basics, such as the preservation of open space for horses to be bred and trained.

"It affects every single sector of the horse industry," she said.

Grbelja asked legislators to make sure as much money as possible went into open space preservation. She said the equine industry and its agricultural component must become as strong as the builders association in the Legislature, a statement that was greeted with a round of applause.

Much of the meeting concerned the impact the hosting of the Breeders' Cup will have on the state's economy next year. Sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Breeders' Cup is an annual series of races held at a different venue each year.

In 2007, the Breeders' Cup will take place at Monmouth Park, which is being refurbished in anticipation of the event after the season closes later this month.

Dennis Drazin, president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said the Breeders' Cup would have $20 million in purse money, and bring in between $50 million and $100 million in tourism.

The issue of video lottery terminals, or slot machines, at race tracks was also discussed. Casino interests in Atlantic City have opposed allowing slot machines at race tracks, but New York and Delaware permit them, as will Pennsylvania in the near future.

Assemblyman Ron Dancer (R-Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington, Mercer), who is the son of the late harness driver Stanley Dancer, said he had three specific ideas to move horse racing forward. One is a partnership for profit with the gambling industry.

"I believe the time has come," Dancer said, adding there is leadership in the Legislature and by Gov. Jon Corzine to bring the racing and casino industries together.

The second idea is stability of funding. Dancer said the industry cannot sustain itself with subsidies and therefore needs a stable source of funding. Such funding could come from slot machines at the race tracks, he said.

Dancer's third idea is a break for the bettor. He said the state needs to pursue a lower takeout, which is currently at 18 percent.