East Rutherford, NJ — The Championship Meet gets underway this weekend (May 2-3) at The Meadowlands as the stakes schedule starts its steady stroll to Meadowlands Pace Night (July 12) and Hambletonian Day (Aug. 2).
A great way to kick off this part of the season is with “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” the simulcast of the 151st running of The Kentucky Derby on Saturday, a day that always creates big excitement.
“We always have a lot of fans show up on Derby Day,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “And this year, we have an added bonus for our harness racing fans as the Dexter Cup (for 3-year-old trotters) arrives at The Meadowlands after a long stint at Freehold Raceway.
“In addition, we received input from our fan base on eliminating the post-time drag, and we have responded by reducing it over the last several weeks. This Friday will mark the first time it is eliminated entirely, as the horses will come onto the track at seven minutes to post and the race will go when the countdown clock gets to zero.”
On Saturday, shortly after the start of the live Meadowlands card, catch the most famous horse race in the world in a perfect setting.
Now, you could head to Louisville, Ky., get tickets, and then be crammed into a facility that will have well over 100,000 visitors that day, or, you could come to The Big M and enjoy every minute of the Churchill Downs card in comfort while enjoying some great food and drink.
Doors at The Meadowlands open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with the first race at Churchill Downs heading to the gate at 11 a.m.
Post time for The Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m., meaning there will be two live harness races before the Derby takes place.
More information on Derby Day at the Meadowlands can be found here or on the Meadowlands website here.
BET AND RUN: For added convenience, those who just want to make wagers on the Derby can utilize the walk-up teller in Lot M. The teller will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday (May 2) and Saturday (May 3).
COME TO THE TRACK, WIN A CAR: The extremely popular Horseplay Car Giveaway returns on Friday.
Fans can get involved by picking up a free horse to toss. Participants attempt to throw their numbered horse into the window of a moving car. A winner, randomly chosen from all the horses that make it into the vehicle, will receive a $100 betting voucher. The 27 winners will be entered into the Horseplay final drawing on Friday (Aug. 1) and have a chance to win a 2025 Toyota GR86.
QUALIFIERS ON FRIDAY: Because of the anticipated additional on-track attendance on Kentucky Derby Day, qualifiers at The Meadowlands will be conducted on Friday rather than the usual Saturday this week.
There will be 14 qualifiers conducted, and they will begin at 9 a.m. The dashes can be seen live on The Meadowlands website (playmeadowlands.com).
Notable horses who will be qualifying include:
3rd qualifier – Oh Well, Up Your Deo, Periculum, Amazing Catch
4th qualifier – Yo Tillie, Elista Hanover
7th qualifier – Ari Ferrari J
8th qualifier – Miki And Minnie, Rose
9th qualifier – Papis Pistol, Captain Optimistic, Fallout
11th qualifier – Voukefalas, Abuckabett Hanover, Seven Colors
13th qualifier – My Girl EJ, Twin B Joe Fresh
To see the entries, go here.
TWO WEEKS TO GO: The fifth edition of the 2025 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest takes place on Friday (May 16), and for visitors to The Big M, playing the contest is something they should consider even if they have not participated in competitions like this before.
The monthly challenge offers $1,000 in cash prizes.
If a track visitor is someone that doesn’t mind risking $100 during the course of a race card, then the contest is for them, as that $100 that gets them into the contest is not an entry free, but money that buys one a ‘betting card.’ If they hit big that night, they keep every penny of that green. In addition, if they finish in the top four, they walk away with that additional prize money, and, if in the top two, collect not only prize money but also earn a spot in the end-of-the-year competition that offers cash prizes totaling $10,000.
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, May 16
Friday, June 20
Friday, July 18
Saturday, Aug. 30
Saturday, Oct. 25
Friday, Nov. 21
The $10,000 invitation-only final is on Saturday, Dec. 13
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); and Robert Glaser and Jim Bohnarczyk (April).
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.
SEVENTH HEAVEN: Big M TV host Dave Little and track announcer Ken Warkentin hit the mark on last Saturday’s (April 26) program, as each correctly selected seven winners on top.
Little kept his followers cashing throughout the night, giving out the Early Pick-4, the Late Pick-4 and “Little’s Late Double” cold, which paid $25.80.
Those who followed Little’s TV tickets wagered $108 for the night, and cashed in for $323.10, a profit of $215.10.
PICK-6 REPORT: A carryover of $5,634 coaxed players to wager just under $39,000 of “new money” into the 20-cent Pick-6 pool last Saturday. Many shared in the dispersal of the total pool of $44,410, as after a sequence that saw winner’s odds of 1-5, 1-1, 1-5, 9-1, 2-1 and 6-5, winning tickets were exchanged for $230.08.
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.
WHEN IS LIVE RACING? During the month of May, live racing at The Big M will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.
THE BIG SHOW: Check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show at 5:45 p.m. every Friday and Saturday when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes.
Warkentin will then throw to the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, where The Big M’s Little and Jessica Otten will provide news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.
John Rallis will handle interviews from the back paddock as well as providing commentary and selections on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed.
ACTION BIG, TAKEOUT SMALL: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
They are:
20-cent Pick-5: Races 1-5
20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
Early 50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
Late 50-cent Pick-4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14
LET’S GET SOCIAL: 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 trio of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).