Showplace Farms Shutdown Clouds Horse Racing

Showplace Farms, a training center here that houses more than 400 horses, will close on Oct. 1, officials said Tuesday in an announcement that clouded what was supposed to be a celebration this week of New Jersey’s horse-racing industry… Showplace Farms sprawls out over 150 acres in Western Monmouth County. Started 35 years ago, it includes racetracks, paddocks, a therapy swimming pool and a blacksmith and tack shop. Its closing comes as all eyes are on Monmouth Park this weekend, where American Pharoah, racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, is scheduled to compete in the William Hill Haskell Invitational… The race horse industry in 2009 was estimated to generate $780 million a year and account for 7,000 jobs, according to a Rutgers University study.