East Rutherford, NJ — Meadowlands Pace Night (July 13) brought a mixture of predictability and surprise, and was highlighted by the fastest-ever Pace — a mythical 1:46.3 mile put up by Legendary Hanover — as well as the third $5 million night of business at the windows over the last five Pace Nights.

Wagering on the 14-race program totaled $5,136,129.

The Pace — as well as five other major stakes events — were broadcast live to a nationwide audience on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) as The Big M and the TV team at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) continue to team up in a continuing effort to expand harness racing’s exposure.

“Without question, Fox Sports has raised the bar significantly,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “I want to thank NYRA and their team for their commitment to excellence in broadcasting. The three-hour show was informative, and their exciting way of showing the best in Standardbred racing to an international audience has clearly raised the interest on Meadowlands Pace Night to another level.”

The numbers prove that Meadowlands Pace Night clearly is bigger at the most important place: the windows.

The average Pace Night handle over the last five years (2020-2024) is $5,051,261. That number is over $1 million more than the $4,048,993 Pace Night averaged over the first five years of the New Meadowlands era (2011-2015).

The widespread visibility isn’t ending anytime soon, as there is still plenty of action to come on the networks of Fox Sports.

Here is the tentative schedule for the remaining Big M broadcasts with the marquee event(s) that will be shown. Where not listed, specific networks — Fox, FS1 or FS2 — will be determined:

Aug. 3: Hambletonian, 4:30-5 p.m. (Fox)
Oct. 18: Breeders Crown eliminations, 1-6 p.m. (TBD)
Oct. 19: Breeders Crown eliminations, 8-11 p.m. (TBD)
Oct. 25: Breeders Crown finals, 8-11 p.m. (TBD)
Oct. 26: Breeders Crown finals, 8-11 p.m. (TBD)

Big Money: After Legendary Hanover won the Meadowlands Pace, there was one winning ticket in the 20-cent Pick-6, which was good for a return of $57,497.22.

The biggest 50-cent Pick-4 pool of the year was recorded on races eight through 11 after $144,968 was pushed through the windows.

Big pools were the norm on Pace night, with large numbers bet on the Early 20-cent Pick-5 ($82,353), Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($77,881), Late Pick-4 ($80,805) and Late Pick-5 ($68,630).

It’s Corntastic: On Saturday (July 20), come to the races for a Corntastic evening.

Guests can get a free ear of grilled Jersey-fresh corn, and can enter some “corny” competitions, which include corn husking, corn carrying and corn eating.

Top prize in each competition is $500.

For more information, go here.

Seafood Fest: The Meadowlands Seafood Fest takes place on Saturday (July 27) which is Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks eliminations night.

The festival takes place from 5-11 p.m., during which time one can enjoy fresh and delicious seafood from area food trucks and restaurants. Plus, the Backyard Grill and Bar will be featuring a shrimp cocktail and more.

For complete information, go here.

Casino And Poker Night: If you like casino gaming, and giving to good causes, check out Hambletonian Charity Casino and Poker Night at The Meadowlands on Friday (Aug. 2).

The Standardbred Retirement Foundation and the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame are the event’s sponsors.

The evening’s festivities will include an open bar, dinner, poker, roulette, craps, blackjack and raffle prizes.

The poker tournament has limited seating, so it is highly recommended you purchase tickets in advance. The grand prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas (which includes hotel and airfare). Second prize is $350, with third prize at $175.

For complete information, go here.

Hambletonian Day: Simply put, harness racing’s greatest day takes place on Saturday (Aug. 3) as the $1 million Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks are the marquee attractions as The Meadowlands hosts a program that will have world-wide appeal.

The best place to be that day is in the middle of all the action and activities at the track.

The doors will open at 10 a.m., so come and claim your spot. The first race goes at noon.

There will be a $5 admission, but that includes a commemorative 99th Hambletonian hat for adults and kids.

Dress Code: Big M management is encouraging everyone to wear their finest fits (best summer attire) — especially in dining areas Trotters, Pink, the Skybox Suites, Lounge and Victory Terrace.

Click here for information on guaranteed dining/seating available for purchase.

In addition, the FanZone Tent will have free swag giveaways all day, and there will also be a driver and trainer autograph session from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

The Stakes Menu: Estimated purses to be distributed on Hambletonian Day total just over $3.2 million. The list of stakes:

$1 million Hambletonian (3-year-old open trot)
$500,000 Hambletonian Oaks (3-year-old filly trot)
$300,000 John Cashman Memorial (open trot)
$275,000 Cane Pace (3-year-old colt and gelding pace)
$275,000 Sam McKee Memorial (older pace)
$175,000 Lady Liberty (older mare pace)
$150,000 Dr. John Steele Memorial (older mare trot)
$90,000 Shady Daisy (3-year-old filly pace)
$240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final (2-year-old colt and gelding trot)
$240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final (2-year-old filly trot)

The Sked: Live racing takes place every Friday and Saturday at The Meadowlands with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. The Big M’s live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show begins every racing night at 5:45 p.m.

Racing will take place every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 3. Post time is always 6:20 p.m. with the exception of Aug. 3, Hambletonian Day, when post time is noon.

Free Programs Every Night: Past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available free of charge. All one has to do is go to playmeadowlands.com to access the information.

“X” Marks The Spot: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X (formerly known as Twitter). 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 team of Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

Rallis’ Race Reviews: For some help with your handicapping, check out the race reviews of The Big M’s morning line oddsmaker and program analyst, John Rallis.

Rallis’ reviews are available 48 hours before a given card, and all one has to do to access the information is go to playmeadowlands.com, go to the “handicapping” tab, then click “race reviews.”

Bring The Kids, Win A Car: When you come to The Meadowlands, you can make a score at the windows. But now, you could also walk away with a brand new 2024 Toyota Camry LE AWD by participating in the track’s HorsePlay Giveaway, which takes place every race day until Friday (Aug. 2).

The HorsePlay Giveaway is sponsored by Purple Haze Stables.

The contest has patrons throwing little plastic horses into the car that will be given away for a chance to win it. Of those horses that end up on the track, the kids can get involved. Children who help out picking up the plastic horses off the track will receive a free ice cream at the Café.

For complete information, and to enter this extremely popular promotion, go here.