Monmouth Park's 81st season closed on Sunday, with the meet facing challenges including a decline in both average total handle and average on-site handle. Average total handle of $2,845,807 was down from $3,641,403 in 2025, while average on-track handle of $281,772 was down from $341,340 last year. Heat and smoke from Canadian wildfires resulted in cancellations July 3 and 4, causing the 50-day meet to lose two days.Average attendance of 6,532 was also down slightly from 6,650 in 2025, with Father's Day and Mother's Day drawing crowds of 30,367 and 16,368, respectively. Monmouth's biggest race day, the NYRA Bets Haskell Day, recorded an attendance of 35,608 despite severe stormy weather.“The easy way out is to blame outside forces like the foal crop and weather, but that won't get us any solutions,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park Racetrack. “It's very difficult to compete with neighboring states that all have casino or slot machine money fueling their purses.“Nevertheless, we will continue to work with the Governor and our legislative leaders to deliver for our fans, horsemen, and all New Jerseyans and we will not stop until Monmouth Park and the Thoroughbred industry are on firm footing.“As for this year, we are turning the page and focusing on 2027 and the years beyond.”Jockey Paco Lopez captured his 13th riding title, equaling the record number of Monmouth titles previously held solely by Joe Bravo. It also marked Lopez's eighth straight title at Monmouth. Christian Maragh was the leading apprentice and finished eighth in the riding standings.Jorge Delgado won his second straight training title, with his 25 wins including six 2-year-old winners at the meet. Brad's Equine Adventure, owned by Brad Altschuld, earned leading owner honors for the first time.Racing in New Jersey will continue with the nine-day, all-turf Monmouth at Meadowlands meet starting on Friday, Sept. 18.The post Monmouth Closes 2026 Meet Down in Handle, Lopez Earns 13th Riding Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.