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HISTORY The original track opened July 30 , 1870 on what is now the site of the Fort Monmouth parade ground, but was closed from 1873 to 1881 due to financial difficulties. It was bought by David Durham Withers , George L. Lorillard , James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , and George P. Wetmore after which Withers ran the facility for more than a decade during which time he helped found racings Board of Control, a predecessor to The Jockey Club . From 1882 to 1890 , the track increased in popularity, but legislation proposed in 1891 and enacted in 1894 barred Parimutuel Gambling in New Jersey , and the track closed its doors. In 1946 , the state legislature passed a bill providing for state regulation of Horse Racing . Spurred on by Amory L. Haskell, who led the legislative charge to once again permit wagering on horse racing in New Jersey and Philip Iselin, a New York textiles magnate, the new Monmouth Park (organized as the Monmouth Park Jockey Club ) reopened on June 19 , 1946 , as 18,724 made their way onto the grounds. The New Jersey Sports And Exposition Authority purchased Monmouth Park from its previous owners, the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, in 1986 . The NJSEA still retains the corporate name "Monmouth Park Jockey Club". Monmouth Park's marquee event is the Haskell Invitational Handicap, named after Amory L. Haskell. The Haskell was first run in 1968 as a handicap, but was made into an Invitational Handicap in 1981. It is now a 1 1/8-mile test for three-year-olds run in early August. Monmouth Park also now showcases the Jersey Derby originally run at Garden State Park until its closure in 2001 . In 2007 , Monmouth Park will host the Breeder's Cup PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES The main track is a one mile dirt oval with chutes for 6 furlong and 1 1/4 mile races. The turf course is seven furlongs in circumference, with a diagonal chute for races between 1 mile and 1 1/8 miles. A new turf chute to accommodate 5 1/2 furlong turf races will open in 2006 . TRANSPORTATION The Park is served by New Jersey Transit 's North Jersey Coast Line during racing season. On weekends a special train called the "Pony Express" operates between Hoboken Terminal and the Park. This train terminates on a rail siding near the park entrance and is often scouted out by Railfans due to the variety of equipment that has been used on the train in recent years, which has ranged from the 1971 vintage Comet I cars to Metro-North Comet Vs. RACING
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