EARLY STARTS TO WARM THE HEARTS OF BIG M FAITHFUL

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- February 12, 2026 -- The extreme cold temperatures that have plagued the New York metropolitan area for the last month have wreaked havoc with live action at The Meadowlands, forcing the cancellation of five of the last six race cards.

Thankfully, for management, horsemen and fans, this weekend (Feb. 13-14) will see temperatures that will be right around the seasonal average on Friday and five degrees or so above that on Saturday, so, for the first time since Jan. 9-11, there will be a complete race week conducted at the mile oval.

“The cold weather, not to mention the big Sunday snowstorm in late January, has really made it tough on us at The Meadowlands,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Hopefully, the extreme weather is now behind us.

“We regret having lost the race cards we did due to the cold, but we always put the safety of our horsemen and equine athletes first. These are tough decisions to make, and they aren’t always popular, but we canceled when we did because we thought it was best to keep people and horses out of harm’s way.”

There was one good thing that happened while frozen-tundra-like temps put the area in a deep chill.

When there was racing on Jan. 24 and Feb. 6, post time was shifted 20 minutes, from 6:20 p.m. to 6 p.m. This worked well. So well, in fact, that on that next-to-last Saturday in January, a 2026 track- and industry-best $3,379,086 was wagered on the 14-race card, so The Big M is going to make a change for the time being.

Effective Friday (Feb. 13), post time at The Meadowlands will be 6 p.m. for 11 weeks, ending Saturday, April 25, when, thereafter, the first race will return to 6:20 p.m.

Racing will be conducted on the usual Friday-Saturday basis.

“We saw that the early start did not have a negative impact on business, so, for the remainder of the winter, we will go with the early post time,” said Settlemoir, before adding with a laugh, “and hope that all of the groundhogs and whatever other rodents said there will be six more weeks of winter were wrong.”

THE RETURN OF RALLIS: Before heading to the Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, FL, to collect his 2025 Dan Patch Lew Barasch Breakthrough Award on Feb. 22, 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 be sitting alongside regular Big M host Dave Little in the co-host chair on the track’s live simulcast presentation this weekend.

The show will feature a new segment on both Friday and Saturday night. “Replays with Rallis” will showcase the talents of the handicapper and writer as a replay-watching specialist. Check out the new spot during the opening segment of the pregame presentation on both race nights. The pregame show gets underway at 5:25 p.m. given the new early post time.

Ken Warkentin will be in his usual spot calling the races on Friday, but on Saturday, they’ll be another new face – make that voice – describing the action, as Settlemoir, who is fresh off calling the first of what he hopes will be many Little Brown Jugs, will be the man with the binoculars in his hand.

Joe Romanelli will serve in his regular role as back-paddock interviewer and FanDuel Television (FDTV) analyst and handicapper on both Friday and Saturday.

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 15-race programs that will take place this Friday and Saturday:

·         Races 1-5: 20-cent Pick-5

·         Races 3-10: $1 PK 8

·         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 15: 10-cent 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).

TAKE YOUR SWEETHEART TO THE TRACK: On Saturday, bring the love of your life to The Meadowlands for a night of excitement and a sumptuous dinner.

For just $79.95 per person, patrons will feast on a superb buffet, which will be offered in the track’s Pink Restaurant.

All diners get a glass of champagne, a $5 betting voucher and a live racing program. In addition, every lady will get a complimentary rose.

To get a look at what is on the bill of fare, go here.

BET THE USA IN FANDUEL: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on professional, college or Olympic 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 Olympics are currently going on in Italy, and the USA’s men’s and women’s hockey teams are going for the gold.

The men’s hockey team takes on Latvia Thursday (Feb. 12) afternoon at 3:10 p.m. EST

The USA is -650 laying 1½ goals in the game that has an under/over of 6½ goals.

Canada is the favorite to walk away with the gold medal at the conclusion of the competition at odds of -105. The USA is the second choice at +200.

The ladies play Italy on Friday (Feb. 13) morning at 10:40 a.m. EST

The USA is -4500 laying 1½ goals in the game that has an under/over of 6½ goals.

Heavy favorites to take home the gold medal, the USA ladies are -380 to win the tournament, while Canada is +320.

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.