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Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed on December 17, 1853, and in 1854 they began holding an annual fair with
harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...
at Freehold Raceway From 1998 to 2010, Freehold Raceway was the home of the Cane Pace, a harness horse race run annually since
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...
. In
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...
the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the
Messenger Stakes The Messenger Stakes is an American harness racing event for 3-year-old pacing horses. It was organized in 1956 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York (on suburban Long Island) to join with the Cane Pace and the Little Brown Jug to create t ...
to become the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. In 1984, an electrical fire destroyed the main building. Racing was then held under tents until the new building was completed in 1986. In 1990, the Freehold Raceway Mall opened up across the street, and was, until 2007, decorated with harness racing motif. In 1998, Freehold was acquired by a joint venture of Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) and Greenwood Racing (owner of Parx Casino and Racing). In 2005, Freehold was also the temporary home of the Yonkers Trot, part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters, while renovations took place at Yonkers Raceway. Freehold Raceway has two meets per year. They race from New Years Day until the end of May, then reopen in September and race until the middle of December. There are two harness tracks in New Jersey, Freehold Raceway and The Meadowlands. There are several farms and training centers located near Freehold Raceway which stable hundreds of standardbred racehorses.


Triple Dead Heat

Freehold Raceway was the site of the first ever
photo finish A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the finis ...
triple dead heat win in a harness race. Double, triple and even quadruple dead heats were more commonly awarded in horse racing when finishes were judged by the naked eye in real time. With the advent of photo finish technology in the second quarter of the 20th century, there was a significant decrease in dead heats. During a harness race on October 3, 1953, the noses of horses Patchover (driven by Ed Myer), Payne Hall (F. Albertson) and Penny Maid (E. Beede) passed the finish line at exactly the same time.


See also

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Gambling in New Jersey Gambling in New Jersey includes casino gambling in Atlantic City, the New Jersey Lottery, horse racing, off-track betting, charity gambling, amusement games, and social gambling. New Jersey's gambling laws are among the least restrictive in the ...


References

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External links


Freehold Raceway Official Site
Buildings and structures in Monmouth County, New Jersey Freehold Borough, New Jersey Harness racing venues in the United States Horse racing venues in New Jersey Sports venues in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Monmouth County, New Jersey 1830s establishments in New Jersey