Boro explores idea of training facility on fort land BY JENNA O’DONNELL Staff Writer 

Oceanport officials are considering a thoroughbred horse training facility as part of plans for the reuse of Fort Monmouth acreage.

Mayor Michael Mahon introduced the subject of a training facility at the Feb. 7 Borough Council meeting during which Councilman Gerald “Jay” Briscione was designated as the council liaison to Monmouth Park racetrack.

According to Briscione, Dennis Drazin, of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, had approached him to ask if there was land in the borough to house a training facility.

Briscione cited concerns that the association was losing many horses to out-of-state racetracks and/or facilities as the reason a center might be needed and should be included in the borough’s plans for Oceanport’s Fort Monmouth plans.

“It wasn’t ever part of the plan. Something like this had never been brought up,” Briscione said. “The need for this has come about because of the increased competition from other states. There is no place for New Jersey horsemen to go after Monmouth Park closes for the season. So they talked to the state about opening a training facility.”

Oceanport would be a logical site for such a facility because it is equidistant to many of the racetracks that the trainers would send horses to race at aside from Monmouth Park, Briscione said.

“[The proposed facility] would probably be similar to something you’d see along Route 537 in Colts Neck,” Briscione said. “It would probably be a barn or a number of barns with a training track and a lot of paddocks for the horses to be turned out. [Drazin] asked if we had the land for that.”

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