DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. TO BE HONORED SATURDAY AT BIG M
Saturday (Jan. 17) night’s fourth race at The Meadowlands is, by racetrack standards, ordinary. But the man the race honors was anything but ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- January 15, 2026 -- Saturday (Jan. 17) night’s fourth race at The Meadowlands is, by racetrack standards, ordinary. But the man the race honors was anything but.
The TrackMaster 74.5 pace is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Race, named for the slain civil rights leader. It is a dash that features all African-American drivers.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929, and died April 4, 1968. He was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination.
His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African-Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted non-violent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (in 1963) to achieve civil rights.
Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Despite the fact that Dr. King was killed almost 40 years, his legacy lives on, even with young African-Americans.
William Carter is a driver who has distinguished himself on the Maryland circuit. He won 170 races during 2023 and added another 181 victories a year ago. Pretty good for someone who won’t turn 22 until this summer.
He’s a harness racing lifer, who won the MLK Pace at The Big M at age 18.
And he is well aware of the history associated with Dr. King.
“He’s had a lot of significance [on my life],” said Carter. “He wanted everyone to be equal. [With regard to race relations in this country] It’s getting better. We try to treat everyone the way we want to be treated.”
His father, Billy, got William interested in the game at a very early age. “I always wanted to be a driver from Day One,” said William.
William will go for his second MLK win with Warrawee Exceed, who has been performing steadily of late at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The young pilot is optimistic that more African-American drivers will be seen in the sulky down the road. “There are a lot of black drivers in Mississippi that are coming up and they have as much talent as anybody else,” said William. “What it takes is opportunity. There are also several drivers that are doing well in Kentucky.”
There’s little doubt, though, that whoever lines up alongside him Saturday, William will be trying his best to win another MLK Pace. “There was so much going through my mind [in deep stretch with Maddox Hanover],” said William. “It was my first drive at The Meadowlands. That was a great feeling.”
WHO’S DOING THE SHOW? This weekend, John Rallis, who divides his on-camera time between The Big M and Woodbine Mohawk Park when not serving as an editor and columnist at TROT Magazine, will sit alongside Dave Little on the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set and serve as co-host for all three shows.
In several weeks, Rallis will be at the Dan Patch Awards dinner to receive the 2025 Rising Star Award from the United States Harness Writers Association.
Ken Warkentin will be in his usual spot atop the stands calling the action. Joe Romanelli will handle back-paddock interviews and FanDuel TV (FDTV) commentary and selections on Friday and Saturday while Gary DiLeo will handle those chores on Sunday.
KERN TOP ‘CAPPER: Del Kern hit the 20-cent Pick-5 and that was the catalyst in him taking the first of 11 monthly installments of the 2026 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest on Saturday (Jan. 10) night.
He finished the evening with a bankroll of $934.01 to not only take that money home, but also the $500 first prize in the $1,000 competition. Stefan Ferrara’s final tally of $840.76 was good for second and $250 in prize money.
By finishing 1-2, Kern and Ferrara earned spots in the end-of-the-year, $10,000 invitation-only contest “final”, where only the 11 monthly top-two finishers will be eligible to participate.
The next $1,000 “qualifier” is on Friday, Feb. 20.
POTENT PICK-5 POOL: A carryover of $29,637 motivated players Saturday (Jan. 10) night to go deep and bet $173,075 of “new money” into the 20-cent Pick-5 pool, for a grand total of $202,712.
Because of the prolific carryover, players who had winning tickets were getting a return of 102 percent, a rare but popular “negative takeout”.
After a sequence that saw winner’s odds of 4-1, 1-5, 5-2, 7-1 and 5-1, winning tickets were exchanged for $877.76.
THE SCHEDULE: During the month of January, live racing will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday basis.
Post time on Friday and Saturday is 6:20 p.m. while Sunday racing will begin at 12:30 p.m.
The final Sunday race card takes place on Feb. 1.
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.
A GREAT WAY TO PLAY: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
Here is the rundown of when these wagers will be offered on the 14-race programs that will take place this Friday and Saturday:
· Races 1-5: 20-cent Pick-5
· Races 3-9: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 (mandatory payout nightly)
· Races 6-9: Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· Races 8-13: 20-cent Pick-6
· Races 10-13: Late 50-cent Pick 4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· Race 14: 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5)
Here is the rundown of when these wagers will be offered on Sunday’s 13-race card:
· Races 1-5: 20-cent Pick-5
· Races 3-9: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 (mandatory payout nightly)
· Races 6-9: Early 50-cent Pick-4
· Races 8-13: 20-cent Pick-6
· Races 10-13: Late 50-cent Pick 4
· Race 13: 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5)
A SOCIAL SETTING: 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 duo of Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).
FOOTBALL IN FANDUEL: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on the National Football League, 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 National Football League’s Division Round begins on Saturday (Jan. 17), when the Buffalo Bills head to Denver for a 4:30 p.m. game with the Broncos.
The Bills are a 1½-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 46½ points.
The second game of the day has the San Francisco 49ers in Seattle for an 8 p.m. kickoff with the Seahawks.
The Seahawks are a 7-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 44½ points.
On Sunday (Jan. 18), the Houston Texans visit New England for a 3 p.m. start with the Patriots.
The Pats are a 3-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 40½ points.
At 6:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Rams head for Chicago to take on the Bears.
The Rams are a 3½-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 48½ 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.
