from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Live music, a t-shirt giveaway and two breeds of horse racing highlight opening weekend of the 2012 Championship Meet at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

The Meadowlands kicks off its summer season with live turf and harness racing on Friday (May 4) and Saturday (May 5). Post time for the four grass events is 3:30 p.m., while Standardbreds take the stage at 7 p.m.

Opening night festivities include free admission, program, Favorite vs. the Field drawing and a concert by acoustic duo C.O.A.L.G. at the Don Q Wedge outdoor bar. The night also marks the debut of the Beat The Bird contest in which Big M Club members are invited to out-pick Lola the parrot for the chance to win a betting voucher. Lola will make her picks live every Friday night on the Paddock Level. Contest rules and details will be available at the Guest Services desk.

The Horseplay Car Giveaway will also make its Meadowlands debut during the summer meet. Every night, beginning May 4, guests who make a $1 donation to the Charity of the Month will receive a rubber horse to throw into the window of a moving car. One successful guest from each night will receive a $100 betting voucher and be entered into a grand prize drawing to win a brand-new Toyota Yaris on the night of the Championship Meet Finale, Friday, August 17.

New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC will match every dollar raised from the sale of the rubber horses and donate the proceeds to a local charity each month. Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch and New Brunswick, N.J., is the recipient of the May proceeds. Ronald McDonald House provides a true “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children receiving care at medical facilities near its locations in Long Branch and New Brunswick. The charity also offers family rooms and a hospitality suite in the pediatric units of four hospitals in Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

For more information about the summer events and racing schedules, go to www.MeadowlandsRacetrack.com.