Monmouth Park launches one of its most important meetings With the New Jersey racing industry facing a host of challenges, Monmouth Park opened its doors to launch its 63rd season of thoroughbred racing over the weekend. And while the inclement weather on Friday dampened the overall attendance figures, track operators from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority fully expect another successful meeting this year, while stressing just how crucial this meeting will be to the future of the sport. "Racing has always been important to New Jersey," said Dennis R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of the NJSEA. "It's a $1 billion-a-year industry. It fosters open space, promotes agriculture and provides a host of jobs that generate revenue for the state. Last year's Breeders' Cup certainly helped bolster support for the industry locally, but the real challenge comes this year, as Monmouth Park attempts to feed off the excitement last year's event brought to the community. The 2008 meeting, scheduled to run 99 days through September 28 annually demonstrates the great affinity the people of the state have for racing and is a highlight for the NJSEA. Monmouth will offer purses of some $330,000 a day for this meeting, the same as horsemen raced for during the 2007 meeting. The purse money was provided in large part by the agreement between Atlantic City casinos and the racetracks forestalling the introduction of slot machines into the tracks. "We are thankful of the hard work by Gov. Corzine to facilitate the agreement, and we are working now with the administration and the Legislature on a necessary long-term solution," Robinson said. "Our overnight purse structure is among the best in the region," said Dennis Dowd, senior executive vice president/ racing for the NJSEA. "And we have an outstanding stakes program that should attract the best horses available. Monmouth will offer 80 stakes races, including 13 graded events, during the 99- day meeting. The centerpiece, as always, is the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on August 3, which again carries a purse of $1 million. The Haskell tops a Sunday card that offers six other stakes races, including the Grade 3 Oceanport and Grade 3 Taylor Made Matchmaker. Taking center stage in midsummer will be the $750,000 United Nations Stakes on July 5, a Grade 1 grass event that anchors Monmouth's spectacular Fourth of July weekend action. Other stakes to be run that Friday, Saturday and Sunday include the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes on Friday, July 4; the Grade 3 Salvator Mile Stakes on Saturday, July 5, and the Miss Liberty Stakes and Colts Neck Handicap on Sunday, July 6. Newcomers to the backstretch for the 99-day meet include trainers Steve Di- Mauro (20 horses), Barclay Tagg (30), Anthony Dutrow (24), A. Ferris Allen (25), and Giuseppe Iadisernia (20). Most of them have shipped individual horses in for Monmouth races in the past, but this will be the first time they've had large strings stabled here. Though the newcomers always promise to make the meet interesting, Monmouth's strong traditions dictate that the regulars will take a lot of beating, as usual. Returning for another meet at the "Resort of Racing" are all the top names of seasons past, including Todd Pletcher, who won the training title last season with 33 wins; Bruce Levine and Jason Servis, who tied for second with 31 wins, and Rick Dutrow, Patricia Farrow, Kelly Breen, Tim Hills, Bruce Alexander and Frank Costa, who rounded out the Top 10. And many of the trainers coming back again are bringing some old favorites with them. Eddie Plesa Jr. will be stabled at Monmouth again, and he's bringing two horses that bear close watching. Gottcha Gold has been a stakes winner at Monmouth the last two seasons, and gave the home crowd a thrill by finishing second in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile here last October. The 5-year-old, who won the SkipAway Stakes at Gulfstream in his 2008 debut, will ship north after running in a stakes race at Calder on Memorial Day. He'll be aiming for repeat scores in both the Grade 3 Salvator Mile (July 5) and the Grade 3 Iselin Stakes (Aug. 16). Plesa also has a candidate forMonmouth's $1 million Haskell Invitational (Aug. 3) in Bea Oxenberg's Hey Bryn, winner of the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream in his last start. Ben Perkins Jr. will again put a saddle on New Jersey's own Joey P., who has become a true Monmouth favorite. The 6- year-old, owned by John Petrini, has won 11 of 18 Monmouth starts, including the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes. He'll be in action this Saturday in the $70,000 Decathlon Stakes. Trainer Mary Hartmann is bringing back Precious Passion, a horse who has the knack of springing an upset on grass. The 5-yearold gelding was the upset winner of the Jersey Derby here in 2006, and last year won the Grade 3 Cliff Hanger at the Meadowlands at a big price and the Grade 2 McKnight Handicap at Calder, paying $136.20 to win. He's already put in a couple of shockers this year in Florida by winning the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at 18-1, and the Grade 3 Pan American Handicap at 20-1. He's a candidate for Monmouth's Grade 1 United Nations Stakes (July 5). And speaking of old friends, no Monmouth meet would be complete without the presence of American Freedom. The Marquetry gelding, whose gray coat is rapidly turning white, has been running at Monmouth since 2001, when he broke his maiden here. Jamie Woodington, who trains the 10-year-old for Freedom Acres Inc., is confident she can find a good spot on grass where American Freedom can add to his lifetime mark of 11 wins in 34 starts at Monmouth. Prop Me Up, whose victories in the Lady's Secret Stakes here and the Long Look Strakes at theMeadowlands prompted her connections to run her in the Grade 1 Breeders'Cup Distaff, will be back in action again. Casino Transaction takes Red Cross Stakes to open 2008 meeting Red Oak Stable's Casino Transaction splashed to a frontrunning upset victory in the $70,000 Red Cross Stakes Friday, as Monmouth Park opened a 99-day thoroughbred meeting. All-day rains kept attendance down, but the 3,463 fans on hand for the 2008 opener were enthusiastic that live action had returned to the Oceanport track Casino Transaction, trained by Greg Sacco, took the track from the start under Herb McCauley, and never allowed her rivals to get close as she scored by three-quarters of a length, stopping the timer in a fast 1:09 flat for 6 furlongs. It was the first stakes victory at Monmouth in 10 years for McCauley, who came out of retirement late last season. The 51- year-old rider was among the leading riders atMonmouth before being sidelined by serious injuries. Live racing returns toMonmouth Park on Friday. First post 12:50 p.m.