East Rutherford, NJ – Now that the Breeders Crown, which was held at Woodbine Mohawk Park, is in the rearview mirror, the strong programs for the remainder of 2025 shift back to The Meadowlands for two big nights of racing, both of which will be broadcast on the networks of FOX Sports.
The first of the stakes double takes place this Saturday (Nov. 1), when four $125,000 Kindergarten Series finals take center stage for 2-year-olds of each sex and gait. The second sends the year out with a big bang, as eight events with estimated purses totaling $2.65 million will be in the spotlight when the Fall Final Four is on display on Saturday, Nov. 15.
This week’s Kindergarten events will be telecast live as part of the New York Racing Association’s “America’s Day at the Races” series with a three-hour show that will begin at 8 p.m. and be seen on FOX Sports 2 (FS2).
“This is the fifth year we have partnered up with [the] NYRA to show some of the best harness racing in the country to a national television audience,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Saturday marks the seventh of eight shows that will feature racing from The Meadowlands this year and we are beyond pleased to have more and more people tuning into the FOX broadcasts for harness racing, as it helps our brand be exposed to a much larger audience than it had in the past.”
“FOX Sports is excited to be part of a huge day in horse racing with our coverage of the Kindergarten finals at The Meadowlands Saturday night,” said NYRA Senior Director of Broadcast Operations Eric Donovan. “The Kindergarten has turned into a major stepping stone for stars of the future, with the likes of Karl and Bond going on to win major races the following year, such as the Hambletonian and Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot.”
Saturday’s presentation will be anchored at NYRA’s studio at Aqueduct Racetrack by Chris Griffin and Paul Verderosa with the tandem of Jessica Otten and Gabe Prewitt on-site providing commentary, selections and interviews.
HRU, DRF HARNESS ON SET: This weekend, Debbie Little (Friday’s card), the Associate Editor at Harness Racing Update, and Derick Giwner (Saturday), the Editor at DRF Harness, will serve as co-hosts on the Big M’s live simulcast presentation that gets underway nightly at 5:45 p.m.
Ken Warkentin, Dave Little and Joe Romanelli will perform their usual roles, serving as track announcer, TV host and back-paddock interviewer, respectively.
THE SCHEDULE: There are 24 harness programs remaining on The Big M schedule for 2025. Live action will take place every Friday and Saturday through the end of the year. In addition, six Thursdays have been added to the schedule. Those dates are Nov. 6, 13 and 20 and Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Post time is 6:20 p.m.
OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER: One of the most popular simulcast events on the racing calendar takes place Friday (Oct. 31) and Saturday (Nov. 1) as $30 million in purses will be up for grabs when Thoroughbred racing’s Breeders’ Cup is in the spotlight at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, CA.
Friday will have five events on a program that will kick off at 2:35 p.m. (EDT)
The Breeders’ Cup races, with their purses and post times, are as follows (all times EDT):
· $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, 5:45 p.m.
· $2 million Juvenile Fillies, 6:25 p.m.
· $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, 7:05 p.m.
· $2 million Juvenile, 7:45 p.m.
· $1 million Juvenile Turf, 8:25 p.m.
Saturday’s program will begin at 1:05 p.m. (EDT)
The Breeders’ Cup races, with their purses and post times, are as follows (all times EDT):
· $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint, 3 p.m.
· $1 million Turf Sprint, 3:41 p.m.
· $2 million Sprint, 4:21 p.m.
· $2 million Distaff, 5:01 p.m.
· $5 million Turf, 5:41 p.m.
· $7 million Classic, 6:25 p.m.
· $2 million Mile, 7:05 p.m.
· $1 million Dirt Mile, 7:45 p.m.
· $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, 8:25 p.m.
PREZIOTI TOP ‘CAPPER: Rich Prezioti took home the top prize of $500 after taking the ninth installment of the 2025 Meadowlands $1,000 Monthly Handicapping Contest that took place on Saturday (Oct. 25).
Prezioti turned his original bankroll of $100 into $314.35 by the end of the night to finish just over $40 ahead of second-place finisher Robert Glaser, who copped a cash prize of $250.
By finishing 1-2, Prezioti and Glaser have now qualified for the invitation-only, end-of-the-year tournament where just 20 entrants will go for cash prizes totaling $10,000 on Dec. 13.
Glaser had multiple entries in Saturday’s competition and also won the prizes that went with finishing third ($150, bankroll $80) and fourth ($100, $58).
Contest format:
- Contestants must be on-site to participate
- Contestants must buy a $100 betting card to participate
- Contestants must bet a minimum of five Meadowlands races
- There is no minimum or maximum bet per race
- Contestants can play any wager(s) on The Meadowlands live wagering menu
- Contestants keep all pari-mutuel winnings
- Contestants can enter as many times as they wish
- The top two finishers earn spots in the $10,000 end-of-the-year contest
Remaining contest schedule:
- Friday, November 21 (last chance to qualify for the December “final”)
- The $10,000 invitation-only final is on Saturday, December 13. Cash prizes that night will go to the top five finishers on a $5,000-$2,000-$1,500-$1,000-$500 basis.
Players that have qualified for the December contest are Nick Montemurro and Gary Scogna (the top two finishers from January); Michael Grasso and Montemurro (February); Sean Loebs and Joe Barre (March); Glaser and Jim Bohnarczyk (April); Karen Fossli and Russ Slader (May); Del Kern and Scogna (June); Fossli and Montemurro (July); and Emile Issa and Montemurro (August).
Complete contest rules and regulations can be found here.
To participate, players must be 18 years of age or older to wager on racing. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.
A GREAT WAY TO PLAY: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
Here is the rundown of what wagers will be offered:
- Races 1-5: 20-cent Pick-5
- Races 3-9: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 (mandatory payout nightly)
- Races 6-9: Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
- Races 8-13: 20-cent Pick-6
- Races 10-13: Late 50-cent Pick 4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
- Race 14: 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5)
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.
A SOCIAL SETTING: Everything Meadowlands is 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).