Washington, PA – Following is The Meadows Monday Memo for Dec. 29, 2025.
POP UP SERIES START NEXT WEEK
The Meadows’ Race Office reminds horsemen that several “Pop Up” series will take place during January, starting the week of Jan. 7-10. Four series will take place for conditioned-claiming pacers and trotters, ages 3-6, each consisting of three legs and a final. Preliminary legs will go for $8,000 in purse money, with the final set for $15,000. The base claiming price for each series will be $20,000 and there will be no claiming from the final. For additional information, contact The Meadows’ Race Office at 724-229-6964.
PALONE CONTINUES REIGN
For more than 30 seasons, Dave Palone has been the top driver at The Meadows, and that trend continued in 2025. Despite a strong challenge throughout the year from Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Palone finished atop three of the four major driving categories – wins, winning percentage, and Universal Driver Rating. Palone recorded 415 wins, with Wrenn second at 341, followed by Aaron Merriman at 300. Jeremy Indof (153) and Mike Wilder (129) rounded out the top five. Palone’s 26.4% winning percentage was #1 again at The Meadows, with Wrenn at 25.1% and Merriman at 20%. Palone’s .410 UDRS rating led the way, with Wrenn at .399, and Merriman at .362. Wrenn held the advantage in purse earnings, with $3.49 million, while Palone was second at $3.44M. Merriman was third at $2.69M. A total of six drivers sat behind the winners of more than $1 million this year. Joining Wrenn, Palone and Merriman were Indof ($1.55M), Wilder ($1.46M) and Brady Brown ($1.43M).
QUALIFIERS SET FOR TUESDAY
Qualifying races will take place at The Meadows Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 11 a.m. As always, the races will be shown live on the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association’s Facebook page.
LIVE RACING RETURNS JANUARY 7
There will be no live par-imutuel racing at The Meadows this week. The 2026 racing season will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, with action four days a week during the month – Wednesday through Saturday at 12:45 p.m. daily.
PICK-4 GUARANTEE RETURNS
When the new season begins, a popular guaranteed pool will also make its return. The $5,000 guarantee will be back daily on the Late Pick-4, consisting of the final four races on each day’s card.
If you would like additional information at any point, please reach out to track announcer Jeff Zidek (jeff.zidek@pennentertainment.com).