CUTLER TELECAST TO KICK OFF FOX SPORTS BIG M SEASON

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- May 14, 2026 --  Harness racing fans who don’t live within driving distance of The Meadowlands can get a taste of being right there in the middle of the action this Saturday (May 16) night when the TV teams at The Big M and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) join forces for a sixth consecutive year to bring big-time Standardbred stakes into living rooms coast-to-coast on the networks of FOX Sports.

Saturday’s is the first of the seven Big M-centric broadcasts during 2026, and can be seen on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) as part of NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” series.

The first show, which begins at 8 p.m. and will be three hours in duration, will feature the $150,100 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, an event for some of the best trotters in North America. Lexus Kody, the 2025 Dan Patch Trotter of the Year, will take on rival Periculum, the winner of the 2025 Cutler after beating “Kody” by a neck at the finish.

The Cutler is scheduled to head to the gate at 10:33 p.m.

“To have our first FOX show of the season feature the Cutler with the defending Trotter of the Year facing the horse who beat him in the same event last year is nothing short of fantastic,” said Meadowlands Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “It’s a great event for us to kick off our lucrative stakes season at The Big M, with almost all of our must-see races to be broadcast live on either FS1 or FS2.”

The talent pair of Jessica Otten and Gabe Prewitt will return to provide live-on-the-scene analysis, commentary and selections on the action.

Here is the schedule for the seven shows that will feature Meadowlands stakes events on FOX Sports, with date, featured event(s), start and finish time and which network – FS1 or FS2 – the show will be broadcast on:

·         May 16 – $175,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, 8-11 p.m., FS2

·         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, 8-11 p.m., FS1

·         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, 8-11 p.m., FS1

·         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; and $120,000 Shady Daisy, TBA, TBA  

·         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, 8-11 p.m., FS2

·         October 31 – Four $125,000 Kindergarten Series finals for 2-year-olds, 8-11 p.m., FS2

·         November 14 – The Fall Final Four: Valley Victory, Goldsmith Maid, Three Diamonds and Governor’s, all for a purse of $400,000; FanDuel Championships: Two $350,000 dashes for males and two $175,000 events for females, 9-11 p.m., FS2

CATCH “REPLAYS WITH RALLIS”: This weekend, John Rallis will be back alongside Dave Little serving as co-host of the live simulcast presentation that takes place every race night from the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set.

Rallis, who was named the 2025 Dan Patch Breakthrough Award winner at the United States Harness Writers Association dinner in February, is a consistent presence on not only The Meadowlands broadcasts, but is also seen on TV at his home track of Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The popular “Replays with Rallis” segment will be featured during both pregame shows, as Rallis tries to once again give out some longshot winners to his fans. Thus far, from just six replays, the 30-year-old associate editor at Trot Magazine has given out three winners that returned $30, $25 and $19 to win, respectively.

The pregame show begins at 6 p.m. nightly.

On both Friday and Saturday, Ken Warkentin will be in his usual spot calling the races while Gary DiLeo will handle back-paddock interviews.

DiLeo will provide commentary and selections for the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed on Friday, while Melissa Keith, who sparkled in her FDTV debut last week by selecting Sonofanutcracker in a New Jersey Sire Stakes dash at odds of 9-1, will handle FDTV on Saturday.

PREAKNESS SIMULCAST: The 151^st edition of The Preakness takes place Saturday at Maryland’s Laurel Park, and Thoroughbred racing fans know the best place to watch and wager on the second jewel of The Triple Crown is in the best simulcast area anywhere, inside The Meadowlands.

Doors at The Big M open at 9:30 a.m. so patrons can claim their spot for the day.

The first of 14 races at Laurel has a post time of 10:30 a.m.

The Preakness, which is race 13 on the program, has a post time of 7:01 p.m.

The 1 3/16-miles dash looks like a value player’s dream, as early favorite Iron Honor is 9-2, with three horses – Taj Mahal, Chip Honcho and Incredibolt – listed at 5-1.

DON’T FORGET THE FRIDAY FILLIES: The Preakness’ sister event, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for fillies, takes place Friday at Laurel.

Doors at The Big M open at 10:30 a.m.

The first of 14 races has a post time of 11:30 a.m.

The Black-Eyed Susan, which is race 13 on the program, has a post time of 6:14 p.m.

The morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-miles test is 3-1 chance Jumping the Gun, who is followed at 7-2 by Braken Poppa and My Miss Mo.

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 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. At the conclusion of the card, the track will have a fabulous fireworks show.

The 101^st 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.

There may be more changes to the schedule in the coming weeks with the World Cup soccer tournament coming to town, pending approval from the New Jersey Racing Commission.

The Meadowlands has asked the Commission for the following:

·         The cancellation of live racing on Saturday, June 13, and Saturday, June 27

·         To make those dates up, the track is seeking to have live racing on Thursday, June 11, and Thursday, July 2.

In addition, The Big M will ask the Commission to cancel simulcasting on the following dates, when World Cup matches will be played at New York New Jersey Stadium (aka MetLife Stadium):

·         Tuesday, June 16

·         Monday, June 22

·         Thursday, June 25

·         Tuesday, June 30

·         Sunday, July 5

·         Sunday, July 19

“We are hoping that our regular customers don’t mind some inconvenience when the World Cup is in town,” said Settlemoir of the competition that begins June 11 and concludes July 19. “But the fact is, those days play out like Football Sundays when the Jets or Giants are playing home games. The difference is, there is no parking on site. We are open on days when there is soccer to any rideshare customers on property. On those days, patrons can get their action in the FanDuel Sportsbook.”

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.

CHECK OUT FACEBOOK AND X: Check out The Meadowlands on Facebook (@meadowlandsracetrack) for race replays, interviews, carryover updates, promotional videos and much more.

Everything Meadowlands is also available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

Stay in touch with The Big M talent duo of Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

SCORE A GOAL IN FANDUEL: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on professional sports, know all they have to do is head for the FanDuel Sportsbook, the No. 1 betting facility of its type in North America.

It couldn’t be easier to do, as it’s located inside the grandstand at The Meadowlands. There are massive TV screens and self-service betting terminals, which enable fans to watch and wager in comfort while having some great food and drink.

The NHL Playoffs continue Thursday (May 14) with a pair of Conference semifinal games.

The Montreal Canadiens head to Buffalo for a 7:10 p.m. face-off with the Sabres.

Buffalo is a -120 favorite on the money line with Montreal a -260 favorite getting 1½ goals. The under/over is 5½ goals.

The late game has the Vegas Golden Knights in Anaheim for a 9:50 p.m. start with the Ducks.

Vegas is a -114 favorite on the money line with Anaheim a -265 favorite getting 1½ goals. The under/over is 6½ goals.

Whatever the sport, for the latest odds, go here.

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open for business Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. – midnight.