Freehold Raceway is the nation’s oldest and fastest daytime half mile harness racing track. Located in central New Jersey in the historic town of Freehold, Freehold Raceway was established in 1853. In December of that year, the Monmouth County Agriculture Society was formed to hold an annual fair with harness racing in the Township of Freehold. Annual Membership fee would be $1.00 and one-time payment of $10 would permit a person to be a life member. It has been researched that racing was held at the same site as early as the 1830s.
During a harness race on October 3, 1953, Freehold Raceway was the site of the first triple dead heat for win during the photo finish era of horse racing. The noses of horses Patchover (driven by Ed Myer), Payne Hall (F. Albertson) and Penny Maid (E. Beede) hit the finish line at exactly the same time.
In 1970, the grandstand was enclosed so that Freehold could offer year-round racing.
Freehold Raceway features live standardbred harness racing for trotters and pacers. The live racing season takes place from January-May and August-December. The racetrack is also open seven days a week and seven nights for year round thoroughbred and harness racing simulcasts from tracks throughout North America.
The Renaissance Room Is open Friday and Saturday for lunch during live racing. Group rates are available for business meetings, birthdays, anniversaries, fund raisers, reunions, or any special event. Freehold Raceway will take care of all catering and party needs with specially designed food and full group packages to make every event a day to remember.
On January 29, 1999, Freehold Raceway was acquired by Pennwood Racing, a joint venture of Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Gaming Inc., the owner of Parx Casino and Racing.
In September of 2020, the Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway opened its doors and in January of 2021, Australian company PlayUp came aboard as their online and mobile sports betting partner..
Freehold Raceway offers free admission and parking for all live and simulcast racing and sports betting.
Licence
The New Jersey Racing Commission has jurisdiction over New Jersey’s thoroughbred and standardbred permit holders and the authority to regulate racing at the state’s four racetracks.
Major Horse Betting Events at the Venue
The Dexter Cup is an open trot for colts and geldings with a $130,000 purse. Offering a $75,000 purse, the Lady Suffolk is a trotting stakes event for three-year-old fillies.
The Garden State offers two $50,000 division for three year olds – one for colt and gelding trotters and one for filly trotters. The Renaissance is a $50,000 trot stakes race for two-year-old colts. In the New Jersey Futurity, there are separate $25,000 divisions for three-year-old colt/gelding and three-year-old filly trotters.
Throughout the live racing season Freehold Raceway offers several legs and finals from the New Jersey Series stakes for a both pacers and trotters that are two or three years old and are New Jersey bred.
Bet Types Allowed
All of the standard and expected horse racing betting types are offered at Freehold Raceway. There is win, place and show wagering, as well as exacta (top two finishers in a race), trifecta (top three finishers in a race) and superfecta (top four finishers in a race).
Trifecta keys, wheels and boxes are also offered. With a box, bettors play either three (trifecta) or four (superfecta) horses and win if those horses occupy the top three or top four spots in the race in any order. By keying a bet, one horse is designated to finish in a specific spot – let’s say to win. The other horses in the key may finish in any order. As long as the keyed horse wins, the bet cashes. With a wheel, two horses are keyed into designated finishes positions and all the other horses are wheeled into the other spots with the wager.
Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway
The Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway opened its doors in September of 2020, just in time for the kickoff of the NFL regular season. A full-service, Las Vegas-style sportsbook, there’s little that can’t be wagered upon at the Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway.
Straight wagers such as moneylines, spreads and totals are available, as are parlays, futures and prop wagers. There are also plenty of live betting options on tap on a daily basis.
Naturally, the big North American pro sports – the NFL, MBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA are all prominently included in all wagering options. However, it should be noted that New Jersey sports betting laws prohibit any wagering on college games involving New Jersey-based schools like the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Princeton Tigers, or the Seton Hall Pirates, or any any college games played within the boundaries of the Garden State.
Beyond the staples of North American sport, bettors will find markets available on soccer, rugby, cricket, golf, tennis, boxing and MMA/UFC.
To wager at the Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway, bettors must be 21 years of age. Hours of operation at the Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway are Monday-Thursday from Noon-10 p.m.; Friday from Noon-11 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m.-11p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
The Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway has an online and mobile sports betting partnership with the Australian sports betting company PlayUp. Along with Colorado, these are PlayUp’s first ventures into the US market, and they’re coming in hot in a bid to attract new customers.
New players to the PlayUp online and mobile sportsbook who enter the promo code “PLAYUP200” upon registering their new account will receive a $20 free bet just for joining the site and will be eligible for a 200 percent matching first deposit bonus worth up to $200.
There’s also been plenty of speculation that the popular Barstool Sports app might also eventually partner with the Parx Sportsbook at Freehold Raceway, since Barstool is co-owned by Penn National Gaming has already paired up with Penn National in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Racebook Mobile Betting App
While Freehold Raceway itself doesn’t offer a mobile app, it’s online sportsbook partner PlayUp does. Compatible with both iOS and Android device, links to launch the download process for both versions of the mobile app are available directly off the PlayUp racing website.
Freehold Raceway currently does not offer a rewards program or any active sports betting codes and promotions.
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