It’s time for harness racing fans who love stakes races to get out their magic markers and circle some dates on their calendars as this weekend marks the beginning of The Meadowlands’ Championship Meet.
“We are proud to host some of the biggest races the sport offers year in and year out at The Meadowlands,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Our schedule is once again stacked, with Meadowlands Pace Night and Hambletonian Day standing out as our two must-attend cards. The Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships program has evolved into another gigantic night of racing that the entire sport watches because of its huge effect on divisional championships, not to mention Pacer, Trotter and Horse of the Year voting.”
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The Meadowlands, known for its marquee nights of racing will then host the following events (with estimated purses) on the following nights:
- May 16 – $175,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial
- May 23 – $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 3-year-old males and females on the pace
- June 12 – $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 3-year-old males and females on the trot
- July 4 – $250,000 Graduate finals for both pacers and trotters; $175,000 Crawford Farms; $175,000 Dave Brower Memorial; $150,000 Six Pack; $150,000 Perfect Sting; $50,000 Meadowlands Pace eliminations
- July 11 – $800,000 Meadowlands Pace; $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity; $300,000 Del Miller Memorial; $300,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial; $300,000 William Haughton Memorial; $200,000 Jerry Silverman Memorial; and $175,000 Dorothy Haughton Memorial
- August 1 – $100,000 Hambletonian eliminations; $50,000 Hambletonian Oaks eliminations
- August 7 – $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 2-year-old males and females on the pace
- August 8 – $1,000,000 Hambletonian; $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks; $300,000 Cane Pace; $300,000 John Cashman Memorial; $275,000 Sam McKee Memorial; $175,000 Lady Liberty; $175,000 Dr. John Steele Memorial; $120,000 Shady Daisy; and $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 2-year-old males and females on the trot
- September 11 – New Jersey Classic Series finals for 2- and 3-year-olds – There are four events for pacers for $150,000 each and four events for trotters for $250,000 each; and $150,000 Girl Power
- October 31 – Four $125,000 Kindergarten Series finals for 2-year-olds
- November 14 – The Fall Final Four: Valley Victory, Goldsmith Maid, Three Diamonds and Governor’s Cup, all for a purse of $400,000; FanDuel Championships: Two $350,000 dashes for males and two $175,000 events for females
The Spectacular Seven
Here is the new lineup of wagers that will be offered every racing night. They all offer a low 15 percent takeout:
- Races 1-5: 20-cent Early Pick-5
- Races 3-8: 20-cent Pick-6
- Races 6-9: 50-cent Early Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
- Race 7: 10-cent Early Pentafecta (Hi-5)
- Races 8-12: 20-cent Late Pick-5
- Races 10-13: 50-cent Late Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
- Race 14: 10-cent Late Pentafecta (Hi-5)
The Meadowlands Schedule
Live harness racing at The Meadowlands will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis through Sept. 12 with a first-race post time of 6:35 p.m.
There are several exceptions to those rules.
On July 4, there is a stakes-packed program that includes two Graduate finals as well as eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace. Post time is 6 p.m.
The 101st edition of the $1-million Hambletonian is on August 8. That card begins at noon.
Finally, there will be one card that takes place on a Thursday. That program is on August 6.
GET YOUR FREE PROGRAMS: To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.
Go to playmeadowlands.com, then click on the “news” dropdown to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.
