The resumption of sports of all sorts has usually included a no-fans-in-the-stands provision.
Dennis Drazin, who heads the operations team at Monmouth Park, said that’s not a hard and fast rule when it comes to live racing. New Jersey tracks can reopen for in-person betting with 25 percent capacity, which means as many as 15,000 people in grandstands that held 60,000 when American Pharaoh raced in the GI Haskell Invitational in 2015.
“I think this is huge,” Drazin said. “This is a great development for us now. People aren’t ready to venture out yet. I think we’ll be OK with 15,000.”
Governor Phil Murphy said face masks will be mandatory at Atlantic City casinos; it’s likely the same protocol will be in place at the state’s racetracks. Drazin said it’s imperative that patrons, horsemen and frontside employees strictly follow Murphy’s rules.
“We plan to screen people before they can enter the track,” Drazin said. “Whatever the governor says we have to do, that’s what we will do. I do not think that the governor will let us stay open if we don’t make sure that there is social distancing. If we don’t do our job, frankly, he should tell us we have a problem.”
