East Rutherford, NJ – It’s not often that claiming races are the featured events at the No. 1 harness venue in the world, but that will be the case this Saturday night (Jan. 24) at The Meadowlands, when a pair of extremely competitive dashes will comprise half of the Early 50-cent Pick-4.
The seventh race – which is leg two of the Pick-4 – sports a $17,000 purse and is for pacers who are in for a tag of no less than $25,000 and no more than $30,000. The horses in for a higher price draw outside in this handicap event.
There are three horses who are all in search of a second consecutive trip to the winner’s circle, starting with Mayhem Hanover, who is off an upset score at odds of 12-1 with this kind last Saturday (Jan. 17) for trainer Rico Robinson. He’ll depart from post 4 with driver Austin Siegelman and start out at 5-1 on the morning-line.
Caviart Camden (post 5, 3-1) swung four-wide at three-quarters before closing like a shot to upset in a softer spot last week as a 14-1 outsider. Colin Kelly, who won 10 races last weekend to end Brett Beckwith’s six-week reign as the track’s “Driver of the Week”, will guide the Maria Alvarez student.
Betting On Caesar (post 10, 8-1) is another bumping up in class, as the Joe Bongiorno trainee crushed weaker on the front end when last seen on Dec. 27. Beckwith will be in the bike.
In the eighth race, $19,000 will be on the line in a $40,000-$60,000 claiming handicap pace, where all eyes will be on Boston Bound (post 10, 3-1). The Chris Height student went a brutal trip a week ago on the way to seventh-place finish as the 1-5 public choice as the speedball never got near the front end. Beckwith will be the pilot.
Sun Of A Show and Mamba are both looking for a second straight score.
The Tee Wine-trained Sun Of A Show (post 6, 7-2), who will be driven by Braxten Boyd, emerged from the pocket to win at odds of 10-1 last week, while Mamba (post 7, 4-1), who is trained by Bongiorno, went a gigantic parked-out effort to score as the 4-5 public choice back on Dec. 13. Can he overcome the layoff is the question. Kelly is listed to drive.
CHECK BEFORE LEAVING: With the threat of inclement weather early Sunday morning, it’s a good idea to go to The Meadowlands’ website, playmeadowlands.com, and see if the track will have live racing Sunday afternoon. It’s possible that live racing could be canceled with the facility remaining open for simulcasting as well as wagering in the FanDuel Sportsbook.
THE SCHEDULE: During the month of January, live racing will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday basis. Post time on Friday and Saturday is 6:20 p.m. (ET), while Sunday racing will begin at 12:30 p.m. The final Sunday race card of 2026 takes place on Feb. 1.
WHO’S DOING THE SHOW? This weekend marks the return of Meadow Twaddle to the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set. Twaddle, who currently works with the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association and is the co-host of the podcast “Hot 2 Trot”, will serve as co-host for all three race cards.
The daughter of prominent trainer Tim Twaddle, Meadow is a 23-year-old with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and marketing from Washington and Jefferson College, and her passion is making horse racing more accessible and exciting by sharing authentic, behind-the-scenes moments that highlight the people and heart of the sport, helping bring fans closer to the action.
Dave Little will host the show on Friday and Sunday, while his wife, Debbie, the associate editor and columnist from Harness Racing Update, will sit in that chair on Saturday. Ken Warkentin will be in his usual spot calling all of the races, while Joe Romanelli will handle back-paddock interviews and FanDuel Television (FDTV) coverage on Friday and Saturday with Gary DiLeo handling those chores on Sunday.
SLIP ME FIVE: Big M TV veteran Dave Little started like a house on fire Saturday, picking the first five winners on the card. Little’s winners of races one through five were Sono Confuso ($8.80 to win), Beat Cop ($8.40), Captain Bazinga ($3.40), American Mercury ($7.80) and Tonto Returns ($9.20), respectively.
By tabbing the first five in a row, Little gave out the 20-cent Pick-5 cold. The payoff for 20-cent bettors was $134.92, while players who wagered $1 got back $674.60.
WORLD CUP SIMULCAST: Head to The Meadowlands’ expansive simulcast area on Saturday afternoon to watch and wager on the 10th running of the Grade 1 $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Disco Time is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the field of 12. The 4-year-old son of Not This Time, a Brad Cox trainee who is unbeaten in five lifetime starts, will be ridden by Flavien Prat. The mile-and-an-eighth World Cup, which has a post time of 5:39 p.m., is the 13th race on a 13-race program that gets underway at 11 a.m., so come early and claim your spot.
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 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 when these wagers will be offered on the 14-race programs that will take place this Friday and Saturday:
· 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)
Here is the rundown of when these wagers will be offered on Sunday’s 13-race card:
· 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
· Races 8-13: 20-cent Pick-6
· Races 10-13: Late 50-cent Pick 4
· Race 13: 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5)
PICK-6 CARRYOVER: There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6 Saturday (Jan. 17) night, creating a carryover of $4,272 for when racing resumes Friday (Jan. 23). The Pick-6 is offered on races eight through 13.
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).
SEE THE BIG GAME AT THE BIG M: The NFL’s championship game takes place on Sunday, Feb. 8, and the place to catch all of the action is The Meadowlands for the best watch party anywhere.
Gallery Watch Party:
· Overlooks FanDuel Sportsbook; has giant screens and multiple TVs
· A huge number of screens from wall to wall
· Premium couch and table seating
· Football swag and other giveaways
· Game insight by Marc Malusis of SportsNet New York and WFAN-660 AM
About the tickets:
· All tickets include tax, tip and access to game-day buffet
· Seating starts at 5:30 p.m.; Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.
Ticket options:
· Single seat: $45 (parties will be seated together, tables with parties of 2-10 will be available)
· 3-person couch: $300
The Big-Game Buffet includes:
· Wings (Buffalo, Sweet n’ Spicy, BBQ), hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers, french fries and dessert
· Beer bucket and beer tower specials
To purchase tickets, go here.
FOOTBALL IN FANDUEL: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on the National Football League, 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 Meadowlands. 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.