from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — As the 2012 Meadowlands racing schedule begins to take shape, an extensive slate of open stakes for 2- and 3-year-olds are being interwoven with the New Jersey Sire Stakes to offer ample racing opportunities for young state-bred horses.
The Meadowlands will serve as the primary location for a schedule that will encompass North America’s finest racing surfaces — including Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs and The Red Mile — and offer a NJSS, Grand Circuit or Early Closer virtually every week.
“By moving other open stakes to the Meadowlands, we believe we can offer New Jersey-sired 2- and 3-year-olds a terrific program,” noted Meadowlands Racetrack lessee Jeff Gural.
For 2-year-olds, the addition of the W.N. Reynolds and John F. Simpson Memorial stakes to the Meadowlands menu, along with the NJSS, Tompkins-Geers stakes at Tioga and multi-track Kindergarten Classic Series, provides an added money race every week from late June until the conclusion of the Meadowlands meet. The Woodrow Wilson, Peter Haughton, Merrie Annabelle and Sweetheart will be continued for 2012 and raced during the Hambletonian weekends.
Upon the close of the 2012 season at the Meadowlands, the Historic stakes for freshmen will be raced at Vernon Downs in early September. During that same period, Mohawk Racetrack will offer their marquee 2-year-old events, leading into The Red Mile Grand Circuit, Breeders Crown and other fall stakes.
In addition to the Reynolds and Simpson, the Nadia Lobell and Moni Maker for 3-year-olds will move to the Meadowlands in 2012 to enhance the already substantial program for sophomores, and serve as lead-ins to the major stakes. The Hambletonian, Meadowlands Pace, Stanley Dancer and Del Miller Memorials remain intact, along with all of the marquee events for the older horses. As part of the changes to the stakes schedule, the Niatross, Countess Adios and Tarport Hap will be discontinued in 2012.