Citing a decrease in the number of entries for both divisions over the last few years that has resulted in short fields, the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey announced that, beginning in 2008, the New Jersey Futurity is being discontinued.

The Futurity, which dates to 1946 and has been run at Monmouth Park and Meadowlands, will be replaced by two stakes for state-bred 2-year-olds that don’t require sustaining payments.

More symptomatic of the Futurity’s small field sizes, however, is the fact the annual foal crop in the Garden State has remained stagnant the last several years despite incentives to breeders. In 2006, for instance, New Jersey-breds were eligible to earn bonuses for their breeders if they finished first, second, or third in out-of-state races when the live racing season at Monmouth and Meadowlands was over.

"The last three or four years, our foal crop has been about 315 foals," said Michael Campbell, executive director of the TBANJ. "I thought it would increase with the new incentives, but we have so much competition right now from neighboring states that have slots and (video lottery terminals). The fact that our purse supplement from the Atlantic City casinos expires at the end of 2007, it seems no one wants to make a commitment to foal their mare in New Jersey