from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Saturday night brings one of the most anticipated Grand Circuit cards of the season to The Meadowlands. The racing centers around a pair of $50,000 eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace and the inaugural $484,500 Hambletonian Maturity 4-year-old trot.

The Pace elims are carded as races six and seven with the top five finishers from each to return for the $776,000 final next Saturday. North America Cup winner JK Endofanera is the 6-5 choice in the first elim for Meadowlands leading trainer Ron Burke for owners the 3 Brothers Stable.

NA Cup second place finisher Tellitlikeitis, trained by Jimmy Takter for the Lothlorien stable, and He’s Watching, third in the Cup, lead the charge in the seventh. He’s Watching was last year’s divisional Dan Patch champ and is looking for his best form for trainer David Menary who owns him in partnership with Brad Gray, Michael Guerriero and the Muscara Racing Trust.

The Hambletonian Maturity, raced at a mile and one eighth, is a new concept designed to provide a stake restricted to 4-year-olds as they transition into the older ranks.

The race has attracted both 2013 Hambletonian and Oaks winners Royalty For Life and Bee A Magician. It will be the first foray for 2013 Horse of the Year Bee A Magician against males, a task made more difficult by the fact that she drew post 13 in the bulky 14-horse field.

Brian Sears, who drove both last season, has opted for Bee A Magician, conditioned by Nifty Norman for Mel Hartman, herb Liverman and David McDuffee.

Royalty For Life races out of the George Ducharme barn and will be making his first seasonal start from post six with new driver David Miller (who will be inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame on Sunday). His ownership consists of New Englanders Alfred Ross, Ray Campbell Jr. and Paul Fontaine.

Rounding out the stakes is a single $25,000 elimination for the $212,000 Mistletoe Shalee 3-year-old filly pace where ten fillies race to eliminate three. Those seven will meet the three fillies (Rock N Roll Xample, Uffizi Hanover and Weeper) that were granted a bye into next Saturday’s final.

The William R. Haughton Memorial FFA pace required no eliminations and the ten high powered pacers entered will go right through to next Saturday’s $463,000 final.

Also on the program is the second leg of the 2-year-old New Jersey Sires Stakes with the pacing fillies going as a single ten and the colt pacers split into a pair of eights.

There is a special post time of 6:30 p.m. on Saturday with a stunning fireworks display set to thrill onlookers after the races are completed. Reservations may be made for both this Saturday and next week’s star studded extravaganza by calling 201.THE.BIGM. Further information is available by visiting The Meadowlands website.