by Dan Leary, USTA director of communications

Columbus, OH — From preliminary reports, Year 2 of Back to the Track last weekend was even more successful than the inaugural edition in 2010.

Harness racing fans lined up at 23 racetracks across the country for the second annual Back to the Track weekend.

New this year was a video presentation called “Home Base,” hosted by the Meadowlands, which provided fans with a live look-in to what was happening at other racetracks across the country. The broadcast successfully highlighted the national scope of the events taking place at the 23 participating tracks.

Another new element of the program was the utilization of volunteers — 107 signed up on the USTA website — at 20 locations, allowing loyal fans to participate more directly in the festivities.

Although each racetrack determined the components of their own Back to the Track weekend lineup, according to feedback from fans to USTA personnel at several sites, among the most popular events were the National Pick-4, the Little Brown Jug trip drawing, Back to the Track t-shirts giveaways, driver autograph sessions, and a dunk tank for drivers and trainers.

USTA photos

Hall of Famer Cat Manzi, third-leading driver Daniel Dube and Jordan Stratton (front to back) sign autographs for fans at Yonkers during Back to the Track weekend.

On Saturday (July 16), Meadowlands Racetrack, through a partnership with the USTA and its Strategic Wagering initiative, handled $202,074 on a $150,000 guaranteed Pick-4 that concluded with the $1 million Meadowlands Pace won by Roll With Joe. A $1 wager returned $2,070.90.

The night before, the Strategic Wagering program in conjunction with member tracks Maywood Park, Meadowlands Racetrack, Northfield Park and Yonkers Raceway offered a combined Pick-4 wager with a $25,000 guarantee that attracted $30,069 in wagers and paid $196.50 for a $1 wager.

While the early returns on attendance, handle and sales indicate increases at many of the tracks, the final summary for the weekend will not be complete until sometime next week when that information will be reported.