SBOANJ files complaint against Freehold Raceway

MANALAPAN, NJ — September 30, 2024 — The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) filed a complaint against FR Park Racing LP and PlayUp Interactive Inc. on Friday evening in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The complaint primarily asserts that FR Park Racing breached its contractual obligations to the SBOANJ concerning the general operations of harness racing’s Freehold Raceway as well as the sharing of sports wagering revenues generated through the Raceway. FR Park Racing has been evading its responsibilities under an agreement with the SBOANJ to maintain the Raceway, provide a safe condition for patrons and racing participants, and to make necessary repairs. FR Park Racing and its sports wagering partner, PlayUp Interactive, also owe the SBOANJ hundreds of thousands of dollars from sports betting as required by a revenue sharing agreement.

Rather than live up to its commitments, FR Park Racing first closed its sports betting operations and transferred its online presence to another entity to avoid any future sport wagering revenue sharing with the SBOANJ. It then announced the closure of the Raceway one week after Governor Murphy signed legislation providing Freehold Raceway with a $1.6 million annual purse subsidy for the next five years, and even though the SBOANJ members made significant investments on racing in Calendar Year 2025.

The SBOANJ tried to resolve these issues without litigation, but to no avail. The Standardbred industry has been and continues to be harmed by FR Park Racing’s broken promises and failures, and the SBOANJ will fight in the courts to hold FR Park Racing and PlayUp Interactive accountable.

Additionally, the SBOANJ’s leadership is committed to finding an alternative venue to conduct races in 2025 that would otherwise have been held at Freehold Raceway prior to the closure announcement. Discussions are ongoing with various entities to mitigate the harms caused by FR Park Racing.

From the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey