from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — The Meadowlands presents “The Greatest Night in Harness Racing” this Saturday with the 41st edition of the track’s signature race, the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, for a purse of $738,550. There is an early 6:30 p.m. post time on Saturday.
Pace night is historically filled with Grand Circuit highlights and this year is no exception with more than $2.5 million in purses offered over the 13-race program.
Huntsville has been tabbed as the even money choice in the Meadowlands Pace after his convincing 1:48.4 win in last week’s elimination. He’ll leave from post four for driver Tim Tetrick, who has won four previous Pace finals. Trainer Ray Schnittker has done this before as well, sending out the 2010 winner One More Laugh with Tetrick driving. Ray owns Huntsville, a colt he bred with the late Charlie Iannazzo, in partnership with Ted Gewertz and Steve Arnold.
The All Star card starts fast, opening with a Daily Double that includes the finest female trotters in the land.
Sophomore sensation Ariana G leads a field of seven sophomore filly trotters with an eye on the Hambletonian Oaks in a division of the $250,500 Del Miller Memorial in the first. Glitzey Gal and That’s All Moni head up division two of the Miller in the fourth race.
Hannelore Hanover seeks to continue her mastery of the mature matrons by taking on five rivals in a $30,000 split of the Miss Versatility in race two. The second Miss Versatility division (race six) marks the US debut of speedy Swedish import Pasithea Face S.
The road to the Hambletonian makes a key stop with two divisions of the $320,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial which will be the first stakes appearance of the 3-year-old campaign for winter book Hambo favorite Walner. Devious Man has taken on the role as divisional leader in Walner‘s absence by winning the Empire Breeders Classic and the Beal Memorial, the highest purses offered for the class to this point in the season. They’ll leave the gate in tandem from outside posts in the first Dancer division, race three.
New Jersey Sires stakes champs Long Tom and What The Hill are the headliners in the second Dancer split, race 12.
Last year’s Hambletonian and Trotting Triple Crown winner Marion Marauder is racing in the $458,750 Hambletonian Maturity (race eight) contested at a mile and one eighth. He endeavors to be the first to complete the Hambo-Hambo Maturity sweep in the fourth edition of the series. He won last week’s Graduate final with ease against many of the same horses he’ll face on Saturday.
The filly companion to the Meadowlands Pace is the $165,700 Mistletoe Shalee (race five) which is a short but select field of seven. Among them are last year’s division leader Idyllic Beach and Breeders Crown winner Someomensomewhere, both of whom continue to seek a return to their freshman form for Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter. Agent Q has been the best of the group thus far in 2017 and comes in off an impressive uncovered win in the Lynch two weeks ago.
The older pacing races both drew overflow fields which result in both the WR Haughton Memorial and the Golden Girls (race 10 and 11, repectively) going the route distance of one and one-eighth miles.
Pacing horses and geldings number a dozen in the $427,400 Haughton, clearly the most contentious race of the evening. With no dominant horse in the field, plenty of speed and two trailers a lot can happen and probably will. All Bets Off has been battling the best for five years and the career winner of nearly $2.5 million is as good as he’s ever been, having won the Battle of Lake Erie and held third after a long uncovered grind in the Ben Franklin. Mel Mara led virtually every step of the Franklin except the most important one, getting out tripped to lose a photo on the wire. “Captain” Corey Callahan’s task navigating a course for Mel Mara became far more complicated when his front-loving mount drew post 12 in the back tier.
Lady Shadow has been dominant in the mare division for the past few seasons. She won last year’s edition of the Golden Girls with a withering world record performance and is unbeaten thus far in 2017 but has drawn the far outside post 10 for Saturday’s race. Lying in wait from the rail is last year’s top sophomore Pure Country who hasn’t handled her graduation to the older class quite as well as expected but absolutely seared the Meadowlands mile in a 1:48 qualifier two weeks ago, signaling her readiness for the remainder of the stakes season. They’ll vie with nine others for the biggest share of the $201,000 Golden Girls purse.
There’s a lot going on at The Meadowlands on Pace night including live bands, a beach towel giveaway, charity auctions and plenty of food and drink options.
If you like harness racing you won’t want to miss it. But, if you just can’t make it, tune in to the SNY channel, available nationwide on DirecTV where the Pace and Hambletonian Maturity will be part of a live broadcast from 9-10 p.m.
A free program for the entire Meadowlands Pace card is available, courtesy of The Meadowlands and Trackmaster.
- Powerful Huntsville Pace ready (Saturday, July 08, 2017)
Huntsville is ready for The Pace.The Ray Schnittker trainee had no trouble winning the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Elimination Saturday night (June 8) at The Meadowlands, stopping the clock in 1:48.4. It was 2-1/4 lengths back to Blood Line with Santafe’s Coach third. Earlier on the card Walner equaled Ariana G’s seasonal mark of 1:51.1 for 3-year-old trotters.
- Classic Pro takes free (legged) ride to Meadowlands Pace (Monday, July 10, 2017)
Classic Pro might be the easiest horse to identify in Saturday’s $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old pacers, but not because of any markings or equipment — or even a number — on the colt. It is because what Classic Pro will be missing: hobbles.
- Marion Marauder, Lady Shadow, and Walner headline Pace undercard stakes (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Nearly $3 million in Grand Circuit stakes will be contested on Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace night, Saturday (July 15) with an early post time of 6:30 p.m.
- Bowden hopes for no bad “Blood” in Meadowlands Pace (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Adam Bowden is never quite sure what to expect from Blood Line. Last weekend, the colt finished second to award-winning Huntsville in the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace elimination, completing the mile in 1:49.1 with a :26.3 last quarter. In his previous start, Blood Line went off stride at odds of 2-1 in his elimination of the Hempt Memorial and failed to advance to the final. Needless to say, Bowden is hoping for more of the former than the latter in Saturday’s $738,550 Meadowlands Pace final for 3-year-old pacers at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.
- Bigger, stronger Marion Marauder ready for Hambletonian Maturity (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While some trainers might be upset they were unable to get their prized horse to the breeding shed, Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling feel it’s a pretty good consolation prize that Marion Marauder can still race and will be on the track in Saturday’s $458,750 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-olds at the Meadowlands.
- Off-the-track excitement on Pace Night at The Meadowlands (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While the action on the track Saturday night (July 15) at the Meadowlands will be hot, with nearly $3 million in purses headlined by the $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, there will be plenty of action off the track as well.
- Meadowlands Pace card leads big Grand Circuit weekend (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
The stakes heavy Saturday (July 15) Grand Circuit card at the Meadowlands features the $738,550 Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-olds.
- Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
Here is the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance.
- Dancer Memorial is next stop for champion Walner (Thursday, July 13, 2017)
If Walner’s six rivals last week felt as though they were run over when the returning Dan Patch Award winner made his seasonal debut with a 7-1/2 length victory in 1:51.1, it’s no wonder. “You sit behind him and it feels like you’re driving a Corvette with a Mack truck engine,” Walner’s driver, Tim Tetrick, said after the win. “He’s ready to rock.”
- Top older pacers to tangle at Big M (Thursday, July 13, 2017)
Call Me Queen Be faces a tough group of older female pacers in Saturday’s $201,000 Golden Girls at the Meadowlands Racetrack, but driver Scott Zeron expects his mare to be in the thick of the action from the get-go. It’s been a successful formula for the horse, who has earned nearly $1.1 million in her career.
- Dream Baby Dream “keeps the fire burning” for Rod and Dawn Allen (Friday, July 14, 2017)
If there is anyone on the planet who intends to ask Rod Allen if he plans on procuring the services of another reinsman to steer his Delvin Miller Memorial contestant Dream Baby Dream in this event, or any other, be forewarned he will not even acknowledge the question. After all it is a silly question, as anyone familiar with Allen knows the only individual that will be holding the lines behind this filly is him.
- Schnittker/Tetrick look for another Meadowlands Pace triumph (Friday, July 14, 2017)
Trainer Ray Schnittker and driver Tim Tetrick have enjoyed success previously in the Meadowlands Pace, winning in 2010 with One More Laugh, and have a chance to add another trophy to their collections when award-winning Huntsville faces nine rivals in Saturday’s $738,550 edition of the Meadowlands Racetrack’s signature event.
- Stars to shine on Saturday at Meadowlands (Friday, July 14, 2017)
There will be no shortage of award-winning horses on the track Saturday at the Meadowlands. The star-packed card features eight stakes events, with at least one Dan Patch Award winner in each. In fact, all told there will be the recipients of a combined 22 Dan Patch and O’Brien awards in action Saturday night at the Big M.