Freehold Raceway closed after its final card on December 28, 2024. The half-mile harness track in Freehold Borough, Monmouth County, had raced for 171 years and was described at its closing as the oldest racetrack in the United States. There is no longer any live racing, simulcasting or sports betting at the site.
This page is a record of the track. If you want to bet on horses in New Jersey today, see our horse betting guide or our guides to Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands.
Track history
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1830s | Informal racing on the site |
| 1853 | Monmouth County Agricultural Society formed in December |
| 1854 | Society’s annual fair begins, with harness racing |
| 1953 | First triple dead heat of the photo-finish era |
| 1984 | Electrical fire destroys the main building |
| 1986 | New building opens |
| 1998 | Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing buy the track |
| 2020 | Retail sportsbook opens |
| 2024 | Sportsbook closes in August; final card December 28 |
| 2025 | Site sold to Raceway RE Partners |
The early years
Horses raced on the Freehold site as early as the 1830s. In December 1853 the Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed to run an annual fair, and from 1854 that fair included harness racing. The track grew from there into a fixture of central New Jersey, racing trotters and pacers on a half-mile oval.
The triple dead heat
Freehold’s best-known moment came on October 3, 1953. Patchover, Payne Hall and Penny Maid hit the wire together in a harness race, the first triple dead heat for win in the photo-finish era.
Fire and rebuilding
In 1984 an electrical fire destroyed the main building. Racing carried on under tents until a new building opened in 1986.
Penn and Greenwood
In 1998 the track was bought by a joint venture of Penn National Gaming, now Penn Entertainment, and Greenwood Racing, the owner of Parx Casino and Racing in Pennsylvania. They ran it for the rest of its life.
Racing at Freehold
Freehold was a daytime track. It raced standardbreds, both trotters and pacers, in a spring session and a fall session, and took simulcast bets on racing from across North America the rest of the time.
Its stakes schedule included the Dexter Cup for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, the Lady Suffolk for three-year-old trotting fillies, and legs and finals of the New Jersey-bred stakes series for two- and three-year-olds.
Sports betting
After sports betting became legal in New Jersey in 2018, the owners opened a retail Parx Sportsbook at the raceway in late 2020. An online sportsbook with the Australian operator PlayUp followed under the track’s license. Neither drew enough betting. Both closed in August 2024, a few weeks before the closure of the track was announced.
The betPARX brand is still active in New Jersey online; see our betPARX Sportsbook review.
Why Freehold closed
The track announced on September 19, 2024, that it would end live racing and simulcasting on December 28. General manager Howard Bruno said operations could not continue under existing conditions and that the track saw no plausible way forward.
The closure was contested. In October 2024 the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey sued the owners in federal court. The horsemen said the closure broke their operating and sports betting revenue-sharing agreements, which ran into 2025 and 2029, and that the owners had let the track fall into poor repair. The closure also meant losing a state purse subsidy of $1.6 million a year that had just been approved for 2026 through 2029.
The final card went ahead on December 28, 2024, in front of more than 1,000 people. T’s Raider II, driven by Johnathan Ahle, won the last race.
What happens to the site
In June 2025 the 58-acre property at 130 Park Ave. was sold to Raceway RE Partners, a New Jersey real estate group. The price was not disclosed.
The new owners’ early plans call for:
- Shops and restaurants
- A boutique hotel
- A social club
The group has said it wants to honor the site’s racing history. Any plan has to go through Freehold Borough’s redevelopment process, which includes public hearings.
For the state’s open casinos and racetracks, see our Atlantic City casinos and NJ racetracks guide.
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FAQ
Is Freehold Raceway still open?
No. Freehold Raceway closed after its final card on December 28, 2024. There is no racing, simulcasting or sports betting at the site.
Why did Freehold Raceway close?
Management said the track could no longer operate under existing conditions and saw no plausible way forward. Its sportsbook had already closed in August 2024 because of low betting.
How old was Freehold Raceway?
Racing on the site dates to the 1830s, and organized harness racing began with the county fair in 1854. At its closing it was described as the oldest racetrack in the US.
What is happening to the Freehold Raceway site?
Raceway RE Partners bought the 58-acre site in June 2025. Its early plans call for shops, restaurants, a boutique hotel and a social club.
Where can I bet on harness racing in New Jersey now?
The Meadowlands in East Rutherford is the state’s harness track. You can also bet on racing online through 4NJBets or NYRA Bets.