New Jersey Then and Now

Remember when New Jersey was the capital of harness racing?  Thanks to Philly.Com, we have some statistics to look at.

• New Jersey Sires Stakes Money: $7.5 million in 2007; $6.2 million in 2011
• Pennsylvania Sire Stakes: $4.1 million to $12.7 million
• New York Sire Stakes: $15.1 million to $19.5 million
• Horses registered for the NJSS: 1,023 in 2003; 774 in 2010
• Horses registered for the NYSS: 672 to 1064
• Horses registered for the PASS: 1,250 to 1,700
• Breeding Stallions in NJ: 115 in 1996; 5 in 2011
• Mares bred in NJ: Approx 3,000 (year not known); less than 700

To give you an idea of how bad things have gotten in New Jersey, Maryland has seven stallions registered.  Thankfully, the stallions remaining in NJ are Grand Circuit quality; otherwise New Jersey sired horses may be on the level of the horses in North Dakota or Minnesota.

Yes, some of the problem is the fault of the horsemen, but a major part of the problem is the state milking the New Jersey horse industry dry, including using the NJSEA as a cash machine for pet projects of the state politicians.