There are many factors that make The Meadowlands the No. 1 harness track in the world, but one of the biggest reasons are the big nights that permeate the calendar every year, ones that both harness fans and horsemen look forward to in a big way ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- May 22, 2025 -- There are many factors that make The Meadowlands the No. 1 harness track in the world, but one of the biggest reasons are the big nights that permeate the calendar every year, ones that both harness fans and horsemen look forward to in a big way.
In fact, there are already two circle-worthy calendar dates in the rear-view mirror. The first was May 3, when the Dexter Cup marked the beginning of the Championship Meet, and the second was May 17, when Periculum won a thrilling edition of the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial. There are many big dates still to come as the stakes season continues to heat up at the mile oval as the summer draws ever closer.
This Saturday, there are a pair of $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 3-year-olds on the pace. Then, in three weeks, on Saturday, June 13, there will be two more NJSS finals for $240,000 (est.), this time for sophomore trotters.
The action then approaches top speed on Saturday, June 28, with the $150,000 Perfect Sting, $175,000 Dave Brower Memorial, $175,000 Crawford Farms and $150,000 Six Pack. All purses are estimated.
One week later, on Saturday, July 5, in addition to eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace, the Stan Bergstein Graduate finals for 4-year-olds highlight the program. There are a pair of $250,000 (est.) dashes, one for pacers and one for trotters.
The biggest evening in the sport is on Saturday, July 12, when Meadowlands Pace Night will be the center of the harness racing universe. The list of stakes events that night is long and packed with Grand Circuit punch (all purses are estimated):
· $700,000 Meadowlands Pace
· $175,000 Jerry Silverman Memorial
· $250,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial
· $225,000 Del Miller Memorial
· $275,000 William Haughton Memorial
· $175,000 Dorothy Haughton Memorial
· $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity
Hambletonian weekend kicks off on Friday, Aug. 1, with a pair of $240,000 (est.) New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 2-year-olds on the pace, before the biggest card in the sport begins approximately 12 hours after the Friday program is complete.
The 100th edition of the $1-million Hambletonian tops the Saturday, Aug. 2 card, which is the only program during 2025 at The Meadowlands that will be contested during the day. Post time is noon, and the stakes action might be the only thing hotter than the temperature that day.
The Hambo card has the following major events (with estimated purses):
· $1,000,000 Hambletonian
· $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks
· $260,000 Cane Pace
· $100,000 Shady Daisy
· $300,000 John Cashman Memorial
· $150,000 Dr. John Steele Memorial
· $275,000 Sam McKee Memorial
· $175,000 Lady Liberty
· $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes (2YOCGT)
· $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes (2YOFT)
Hambletonian Day marks the end of the Championship Meet, but the stakes train keeps on rolling during the Big M’s Fall Meet.
The New Jersey Classic Series is the marquee event on Friday, Sept. 5. There will be a total of eight finals with $1.7-million in estimated purses up for grabs, as 2- and 3-year-old trotters will square off for $1.1 million in purses while the same age groups on the pace will go for $600,000.
The Kindergarten finals will have four $125,000 (gtd.) races for 2-year-olds on both the pace and trot on Saturday, Nov. 1 before the final big night of racing of the year in the sport takes place.
Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night takes place on Saturday, Nov. 15 with $2.65 million in estimated purses up for grabs.
The FF4 is for 2-year-olds, while the FDC are for older horses.
These are the stakes races that night:
· $400,000 Governor’s Cup
· $400,000 Three Diamonds
· $400,000 Valley Victory
· $400,000 Goldsmith Maid
· $350,000 FanDuel Open Pace
· $350,000 FanDuel Open Trot
· $175,000 FanDuel Mare Pace
· $175,000 FanDuel Mare Trot
WHEN IS LIVE RACING? During the month of May, live racing at The Big M will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.
WHAT’S GOING ON? Check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show every Friday and Saturday when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes at 5:45 p.m.
At that point, Warkentin will then throw to the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, where The Big M’s Dave Little and Jessica Otten will provide news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.
On Friday’s pregame show, the Big M’s “A”-team will take a look at Week 4 of Little’s “Road to the Meadowlands Pace” Top 10, while on Saturday, Noel Daley, the 2024 Dan Patch Trainer of the Year Award winner, will be interviewed by Little on the track’s next installment of “In the Sulky”, which can be seen at 5:50 p.m.
Joe Romanelli, the former track announcer at Freehold Raceway and the current voice of the qualifiers at The Big M, will be handling interviews from the back paddock as well as providing commentary and selections on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed.
LUCKY 7 FOR WARKENTIN: Track announcer Ken Warkentin treated his following to a big night at the windows on Friday (May 16), correctly selecting seven winners on top, featuring Artist Best in the seventh race, who returned $43 to win.
TV co-host Dave Little, who finished the night with five of the last six on top, chipped in with six winners, including Roma Amor in the 14th, who paid $15.60.
GOING NATIONAL: For a fifth consecutive year, the TV teams at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and The Meadowlands are combining forces to bring high-caliber harness racing stakes events to a national television audience over the networks of FOX Sports as part of NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” telecasts.
The first of eight scheduled shows took place Saturday (May 17), when The Big M showcased the best older trotters in North America in the $158,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial. Also featured were races from Indiana’s Hoosier Park.
Here is the schedule for the remaining seven FOX Sports shows, with the event(s) that will be featured and the time the show will be broadcast. Which FOX network the show can be found on – Fox 5 New York (locally), FS1 or FS2 – will be determined:
· June 28 – Perfect Sting, Brower Memorial, Crawford Farms, Six Pack, 8-11 p.m., TBA
· July 5 – Stan Bergstein Graduate finals; Meadowlands Pace eliminations, 8-11 p.m., TBA
· July 12 – Meadowlands Pace Night (multiple stakes), 8-11 p.m., TBA
· August 2 – Hambletonian Day (multiple stakes), 1-7 p.m., TBA
· September 5 – New Jersey Classic Series finals, 8-11 p.m., TBA
· November 1 – Kindergarten finals, 8-11 p.m., TBA
· November 15 – Fall Final Four, 8-11 p.m., TBA
FABULOUS FOSSLI TOP ‘CAPPER: Karen Fossli finished the night with a bankroll of $443.70 to win the fifth edition of the 2025 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest on Friday (May 16) and walked away with the first prize of $500 in the competition that offers $1,000 in prize money.
Russ Slader’s bankroll of $350.00 was good for second and a check for $250. Finishing third was D. Gieck, who collected $150 with a bankroll of $244.20. Fourth went to Slader, whose bankroll of $150.00 earned him another $100.
By finishing 1-2, Fossli and Slader have now qualified for the year-end contest on Dec. 13, which has a prize pool of $10,000.
Round six of the contest takes place on June 20.
Contest format:
· Contestants must be on-site to participate
· Contestants must buy a $100 betting card to participate
· Contestants must bet a minimum of five Meadowlands races
· There is no minimum or maximum bet per race
· Contestants can play any wager(s) on The Meadowlands live wagering menu
· Contestants keep all pari-mutuel winnings
· Contestants can enter as many times as they wish
· The top two finishers earn spots in the $10,000 end-of-the-year contest
Remaining contest schedule:
· Friday, June 20
· Friday, July 18
· Saturday, August 30
· Saturday, October 25
· Friday, November 21
· The $10,000 invitation-only final is on Saturday, December 13
Previous players that have qualified for the December contest are Nick Montemurro and Gary Scogna (the top two finishers from January); Michael Grasso and Montemurro (February); Sean Loebs and Joe Barre (March); and Robert Glaser and Jim Bohnarczyk (April).
Complete contest rules and regulations can be found here.
To participate, players must be 18 years of age or older to wager on racing. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.
PLAY HORSEPLAY, WIN A CAR: The extremely popular Horseplay Car Giveaway has returned.
When there is live racing, fans can get involved by picking up a free horse to toss. Participants attempt to throw their numbered horse into the window of a moving car. A winner, randomly chosen from all the horses that make it into the vehicle, will receive a $100 betting voucher. The 27 winners will be entered into the Horseplay final drawing on Friday, Aug. 1, and have a chance to win a 2025 Toyota GR86.
THEY ARE FA-REEE! 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.
A GREAT WAY TO PLAY: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
They are:
· 20-cent Pick-5: Races 1-5
· 20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
· Early 50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· 20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
· Late 50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14
SOCIALLY SUPERIOR: Everything Meadowlands is 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 trio of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).
A GREAT NIGHT OUT: Looking to book a corporate event or private party? The Meadowlands has unlimited event possibilities. The redesigned Gallery with multiple TVs, private bar and balcony overlooking the FanDuel Sportsbook is perfect for game days, watch parties and more.
To book your private party, email alokshin@playmeadowlands.com.
FANDUEL IS NO. 1: Meadowlands regulars know that if they want action on professional and college sports, all they have to do is head for the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is the No. 1 facility of its kind in all of North America.
It couldn’t be easier to access, as it’s located inside the grandstand at The Big M.
The book has massive TV screens and self-service betting terminals, which enable fans to watch and wager in comfort while having some great food and drink.
With the Mets off and the Yankees playing a day game, bettors will likely shift their interest to the NBA Playoffs and Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday (May 22). The Minnesota Timberwolves will be in Oklahoma City taking on the Thunder in an 8:30 p.m. tip-off.
The Thunder, who have a one game to none lead in the best-of-seven series, are a 7½-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 213 points.
For prop bettors, OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the favorite to be named the league’s MVP, is -194 to score 30 or more points; +142 to score 35 or more points; and +350 to score 40 or more points.
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.
