East Rutherford, NJ – It figures that after a Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 8) of racing that was pulse pounding and breathtaking – not to mention record breaking – that The Meadowlands would ease up on the throttle some the week after.
The New York Jets are at MetLife Stadium Friday (Aug. 14) night hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL preseason game at 7 p.m., and, as a result, The Meadowlands will not offer live harness that night and race only once this week, on Saturday (Aug. 15).
Saturday afternoon, the Giants host the Minnesota Vikings, but because the game begins at 1 p.m., the track will have live action that evening, but will start the 13-race card 40 minutes later than usual, at 7 p.m.
Moving forward, live harness racing at The Big M will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis through Sept. 12 with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.
But take note, that in addition to this Friday night, there will be no live racing Friday, Aug. 28, when the Giants and Jets faceoff at 7:30 p.m. at MetLife Stadium.
BECKWITH, ENGBLOM WIN DASH CROWNS: Driver Brett Beckwith and Trainer Per Engblom walked away with the dash-win titles for their respective occupations at the Winter-Spring-Championship Meet that concluded Hambletonian Day.
Beckwith finished with 101 wins, which were 10 more than runner-up Joe Bongiorno. Beckwith has now won back-to-back W-S-C crowns, and is also seeking a second straight yearly title. During 2025, Beckwith recorded 146 victories, but may have trouble equaling that number in 2026, since the 23-year-old pilot spent two months earlier this year recovering from injuries suffered in a spill.
With 54 wins, Engblom finished atop the trainer standings, racking up nine more walks down victory lane than Bongiorno, who was second best with 45.
After guiding Bourbonista S (in the Vincennes), Super Chapter (John Cashman) and Apex (Hambletonian) to the winner’s circle, Dexter Dunn padded his earnings at the meeting to $3.24 million, tops in the driver standings. Yannick Gingras was next with $2.08 million.
Marcus Melander conditioned the victorious Bourbonista S, Super Chapter, Apex and Nezuko Kamado S (Hambletonian Oaks) to lift his trainer earnings to a colony best $2.42 million. Ron Burke finished second with $1.72 million.
THE HIGHLIGHT REEL: Here are five of the most interesting dashes that took place on Hambo Day:
- Race 3: $310,750 Cane Pace (3-year-old open) – Sweet Lovin Lou rallied from last in a five-horse field at three-quarters to pull off a 14-1 shocker in a lifetime-best 1:47.3. Tim Tetrick picked up the drive for Scott Zeron, who was injured in a spill at Yonkers two days earlier. Brandon Blvd, the 3-5 favorite and Meadowlands Pace winner, and 8-5 Odds On Mr Mamba, the North America Cup champion, did not bring their best and finished third and fourth, respectively.
- Race 8: $281,200 John Cashman Memorial (open trot) – The defending Dan Patch Trotter of the Year Lexus Kody saw his three-race win streak come to an end at the hands of the Melander-trained Super Chapter, who was sent to the gate as the 4-5 favorite and showed zero ill effects of a four-week layoff in a 1:50.1 mile.
- Race 9: $500,000 Winning Key Farm Hambletonian Oaks (3-year-old filly trot) – Nezuko Kamado S rebounded off a neck defeat in her elimination with a 1:51.4 score with Gingras rating the pace up front subbing for Zeron. Later in the day after taking the Hambletonian, Melander became the fourth trainer in history to win both the Hambletonian and Oaks on the same day, joining Jimmy Takter (twice), Jim Campbell and Jan Johnson.
- Race 11: $1-million Winning Key Farm Hambletonian (3-year-old open trot) – Apex and Big Ranger went at it toe-to-toe for the stretch drive to team up for the most exciting Hambletonian battle to the wire since the 1989 dead heat between Probe and Park Avenue Joe. Apex stopped the clock in an all-time Hambo-fastest 1:49.2. Dunn became the first driver to win both the Meadowlands Pace and Hambletonian for the first time in the same year since Jack Moiseyev turned the trick in 1991 with Precious Bunny (Pace) and Giant Victory (Hambo). Dunn is now on track to possibly win a sixth Dan Patch Driver of the Year award in the last eight years.
- Race 14: $156,500 Lady Liberty (open mares pace) – The two superstars from the Chris Ryder barn went at it again, and in the third 2026 matchup of the prolific pair, it was Miki And Minnie gunning down Twin B Joe Fresh at the finish to take a 2-1 lead in the season series.
“Hambletonian Day delivered in a big way, with memorable performances from the start of the card right to the finish to go along with a Hambletonian that will without question go down as one of the most exciting ever,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “We had a great crowd that enjoyed the racing, the food, and all of the activities that were offered during what was a fantastic day at the races.”
A STELLAR MENU: The Meadowlands’ betting public is accustomed to the new $3 Late Pick-3 and $5 Late Daily Double, but still go for the mile oval’s wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout in a big way.
This is the wagering menu listing the bets that sport the low 15 percent takeout for Saturday’s 13-race program:
- Races 1-5: 20-cent Pick-5
- Races 3-9: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
- Races 6-9: 50-cent Pick-4
- Races 8-13: 20-cent Pick-6
- Races 10-13: 50-cent Pick-4
- Race 13: 10-cent Pentafecta (Hi-5)
YOU’LL NEED A SCORECARD: Larry Fox and Mike Bozich will join Big M TV veteran Dave Little on the talent team for Saturday’s night at the races.
Fox, the former track announcer at Freehold Raceway and occasional race caller at The Big M, and Bozich, the current voice at Harrah’s Philadelphia, will both handicap and analyze the 13-race program, with Fox at the top of the stands with binoculars in hand providing the play-by-play, and Bozich on set with Little giving out winners from the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set.
Gary DiLeo will handle interviews from the paddock with winning connections.
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.
CHECK OUT FACEBOOK AND X: Check out The Meadowlands on Facebook (@meadowlandsracetrack) for race replays, interviews, carryover updates, promotional videos and much more.
Everything Meadowlands is also 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).
FANDUEL IS FABULOUS: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on professional 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 Big M. 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.
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.