FREEHOLD RACEWAY

130 Park Avenue
Freehold, N.J. 07728
(732) 462-3800
http://www.freeholdraceway.com

Freehold Raceway Racing Dates
Spring/Summer Meet: January 1 - June 9
Fall Meet: August 9 - December 31

Racetrack Information
Main track (Turf): 1/2 mile, oval
Distance from last turn to finish line: 480 feet
Width of homestretch: 80 feet

Track History and Fun Facts: Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey. Established in 1853, it is the oldest half-mile racetrack in the United States located at the intersection of U.S. Route 9 and Route 33 Business in Freehold. Freehold Raceway is the home of the Cane Pace, a harness horse race run annually since 1955. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Messenger Stakes to become the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers.

On May 4, 1984, Freehold's grandstand and dining room were destroyed by an early evening fire that was caused by an electrical short in the odds board. The fire brought one positive, however. On Dec. 31, 1984, the Wilmot Family of Rochester, New York, purchased the track and ordered the grandstand and dining room to be rebuilt at an estimated cost of more than $12 million. Freehold changed hands again in September of 1990 when Kenneth Fischer, a local farm owner, purchased it. In 1994, Fischer sold to International Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. for $23 million. In January 1999, Freehold finally fell into the hands of its current owners, Pennwood Racing, which purchased the track for $46 million.

The Monmouth County Agriculture Society was formed in 1853 to hold an annual fair with harness racing in the Township of Freehold. It has been researched that racing was held at the same site as early as the 1830's.