East Rutherford, NJ — The Meadowlands’ biggest stakes races of 2024 will again be televised live on the networks of Fox Sports thanks to a partnership with the television department at the New York Racing Association as part of its “America’s Day at the Races” broadcasts.

“Working with a first-class TV team like the one at the NYRA has been something beneficial to The Meadowlands and all of harness racing,” said Meadowlands’ Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “We feel that showing our biggest races to a national audience is something we are convinced is making Thoroughbred fans into harness fans, and that’s something that’s good for both industries.”

There will be nine shows from The Meadowlands during the course of the year, and only two of them (as of now) will include coverage of Thoroughbred racing (Aug. 3 and Oct. 18). Jessica Otten of Big M TV and Gabe Prewitt of the Red Mile will be back as the on-camera talent onsite, joining Acacia Clement and Paul Verderosa of the NYRA, who will be in the studio. Additional broadcasts from harness venues other than The Meadowlands will be added in the coming weeks.

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

May 18: Cutler, 9-11 p.m. (FS2)
July 6: Graduate finals/Meadowlands Pace eliminations, 8-11 p.m. (FS2)
July 13: Meadowlands Pace final, 8-11 p.m. (TBD)
Aug. 3: Hambletonian, 1-7 p.m. (TBD)
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)
Nov. 30: Fall Final Four, 8-11 p.m. (TBD)

“As America’s Day at the Races continues to grow and evolve, Fox Sports and NYRA are thrilled to continue our partnership with The Meadowlands in 2024,” said NYRA Sr. Director of TV Broadcast Operations Eric Donovan. “Jeff Gural and Jason Settlemoir have been instrumental in recognizing the importance of live national television coverage for harness racing and we look forward to presenting marquee events from The Meadowlands, including the 2024 Breeders Crown.”

NYRA and Fox Sports were honored by the United States Harness Writers Association with the President’s Award as well as the Sam McKee Award for excellence in broadcasting. Both awards recognized overall commitment to the sport of harness racing in 2023, when America’s Day at the Races aired more than 70 hours of live coverage and analysis, including the Breeders Crown and Hambletonian.

A Flurry Of Activity: The Meadowlands will be offering its usual array of possibilities for punters this weekend, which, of course, starts with live harness racing on Friday (April 5) and Saturday (April 6). Post time is 6:20 p.m. for both 14-race programs.

Extremely appealing to the bettor are the size of the betting pools at The Big M, which are the biggest in harness racing.

Last week, all-source handle totaled $3,520,145 on the Saturday (March 30) card. One night earlier, wagering was $3,445,558, meaning that during the 28-dash race week, $6,965,703 was pushed through the windows, leaving total action less than $35,000 short of $7 million.

Everybody In The (Pick-4) Pool: Last Saturday, action on the track’s two 50-cent Pick-4s was vigorous as both pools exceeded $100,000. A total of $213,600 was put in play on the Big M’s most popular multi-leg bet, which begins on a nightly basis in races six and 10, respectively.

Betting Like Pros: The evidence that the betting public likes wagering on Meadowlands Amateur Driving Club events was strong once again last weekend, as average action on the four events was in excess of $300,000.

Friday’s three races saw wagering of $308,865 (race one), $300,627 (race four) and $254,169 (race eight) before Saturday’s lone dash took in $344,073 (race one).

Powerhouse Payouts: The Big M has a handful of multi-leg bets that are popular with players. One of the reasons they are is the possibility of making a score, as evidenced by last Friday’s $7,182 payout in the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 and Saturday’s $8,223 return in the 20-cent Pick-8 and $3,821 cash-in for the 20-cent Pick-6.

Rocking The Clock: On a windy night with temperatures in the mid-50s, the track was lightning-fast last Saturday. Need proof?

The 1:50 barrier was busted three times during the course of the card, with Red Right Hand’s 1:49.1 clocking representing the fastest mile of 2024 on the pace at The Big M.

Lexus Kody scored in 1:50 on the trot, to establish a track record for older trotting geldings. His effort was also the fastest trotting mile of the year not only at The Meadowlands, but the entire sport.

He Shoots, He Scores: In addition to great racing, Peter Grandich will be at the track Saturday (April 6) night, sponsoring “Hockey Night at The Meadowlands.”

Two-time Stanley Cup champion — one of those with the New Jersey Devils — Grant Marshall, Philadelphia Flyers fan favorite Chris Therien and New York Rangers great Ron Greschner will be there meeting fans, signing autographs and taking photos.

They will be in the Clubhouse lobby from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For those seeking autographs, there is a two-item limit per person.

Sharpen Your Pencils: The much-anticipated live-money handicapping contest at The Meadowlands, postponed due to bad weather two weeks ago, will take place this Saturday (April 6).

There is no entry fee for players and the prize pool is a guaranteed $5,000, which will be fully funded by The Big M. The night of the contest, players must register/check-in at the Clubhouse lobby by 6:20 p.m., and a $100 betting card — cash only — must be purchased to participate, as this is a live money/wagering contest. Entry includes a program.

For complete contest rules and regulations, go here.

Dinner In The Dark: Would you like a unique dining experience?

Then head to The Meadowlands Saturday (April 6). If you forget your glasses, don’t fear, because if you go to the track’s Skyboxes, you’ll be treated to “Dinner in the Dark,” a dining experience where each course is first served blindfolded to completely surprise you and your tastebuds.

The cost is $69.95 per person (not including tax and gratuity) and includes a live racing program and $10 betting voucher.

Dinner consists of three courses (appetizer, main course and dessert), which are each paired with a glass of wine. Diners may select their choice of meat, vegan or seafood as their main course.

For complete information, and to make reservations, go here.

The Ultimate Survivors: The results are in, and William Maes and Lori Howcroft were the winners of The Big M’s Winter Meet Survival Challenge, powered by 123Racing, which concluded last Saturday.

Maes (aka Sayhaykid56) totaled $566.60, just $10 more than Robert Vincent (berto), and $34 more than third-place finisher Alyson Olivieri (Alyson765).

Howcroft topped the most-winners portion of the contest with 32 correct selections, taking home first-prize after breaking a tie by finishing in a higher challenge position.

“My wife had never had any interest in racing,” said Howcroft’s husband, Brad. “A couple of years ago, I convinced her to enter the Survivor contest. She started to ask me questions about drivers and trainers, then, eventually, studied the program pages. Low and behold, she won the most-winners category. I’m still in shock and she has been wearing an ear-to-ear smile since Saturday. Keep up the great work! The Meadowlands is what harness racing should be.”

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).

The Great Eight: The Meadowlands provides eight opportunities for the player to make a score trying their luck betting in pools with a low 15 percent takeout. The lineup of The Big M’s “Great Eight” is as follows (all wagers — with the exception of the Pick-7 — are carryover eligible):

Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
Race 2: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
Race 4: 20-cent Pick-8
Race 6: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
Race 7: 20-cent High-5
Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
Race 10: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
Race 11: 20-cent High-5

Witherite’s Race Reviews: Race reviews and selections by The Meadowlands’ morning-line oddsmaker and program analyst James Witherite are available 48 hours before a given race card. To access, simply go to playmeadowlands.com, go to the “handicapping” tab, then click “race reviews.”