Winter training facility for horses sought at fort Plan could help N.J. horses train year-round BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer The closing of FortMonmouth in 2011 means that some of the choicest real estate on the East Coastwill be available for public and private investment. One group would like to see 80 acres of the now-federal property in Oceanport, close to Monmouth Park racetrack, dedicated as a training facility for thoroughbred racehorses. Dennis Drazin, an attorney with the firm of Drazin and Warshaw, P.C. in Red Bank, and president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said New Jersey needs a solution for a winter stabling/training facility. "We used to race all year and now we race from May until the end of November," he said. "There is no place [for horsemen] to go from Thanksgiving to mid-April. It creates a real problem for horse people." The lack of a winter training facility means entries are light when Monmouth Park opens, as horses must ship in from other states, he said. Drazin said the discussion about solving the winter training facility problem has been going on since the late 1990s, well before the closing of FortMonmouth was announced in 2005. He said he has been speaking with government officials over the years, especially Rep. Frank Pallone, regarding the availability of a parcel at FortMonmouth for a training facility if and when the fort closes. "It's a no-brainer," he said. "We need it." Drazin said he has reached out to various aspects of the political world, including the borough of Oceanport, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Gov. Jon Corzine, Fort Monmouth officials, as well as Pallone. "I've tried to get everyone behind the idea that Fort Monmouth would be the ideal place [for such a facility]," he said. The idea has been well-received by Oceanport and the county, and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which ownsMonmouth Park, he said. Drazin added that he is keeping the lines of communication open. The training facility he envisions would have a racetrackmeasuring no less than five/eighths of amile and perhaps as long as a mile, which could be used yearround. Drazin said he is also open to another plan thatwould allowfor the swap ofWolf Hill Farm, located adjacent to the track and now part of the Monmouth County Park System, for land at FortMonmouth. Then, Wolf Hill Farm could revert to being the horse farmit once was and give the training facility a stable base. Drazin concedes that there is a long road ahead for his dream. He said he needs lots of help from different sectors, but continues to see his idea as a real possibility. "Every place I go, people stop me and ask about this," he said.