from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — On Saturday night, April 26, a field of the sport’s top pacing mares will assemble at The Meadowlands for the $75,000 Thomas Strada Memorial, a race that honors a Cantor Fitzgerald vice president who lost his life in the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Among the contenders are Artcotic, winner of the 2007 Breeders Crown 3-year-old filly pace and Stylish Solution, who reeled off 13 straight wins before her streak was snapped in February. Ideal Weather leads the field in earnings, with just under $625,000.

This year marks the fourth running of the memorial race created by the family and friends of Strada, an avid harness racing fan killed in the attack on the World Trade Center where he worked for Cantor Fitzgerald since 1995. Strada, 41, was a vice president on the corporate bond desk.

An outdoorsman, he shared his love of harness racing with his wife, Terry, whose father was the late Hall of Fame horseman George Sholty. Strada, along with his brothers, Michael and Joseph, and sisters, Jennifer and Susan, grew up in the shadow of the former Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York, where their father has been mayor since 1981.

“The loss is still as fresh as it was then, as I’m sure it is for every family who lost someone on 9-11,” said Michael Strada, “but this is a night that our family can get together with all of Tommy’s friends and remember him and his love of racing.”

The $75,000 Thomas Strada Memorial is carded as race five. First race post time is 7:00 p.m. Here’s the field:

HN-PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-7-Guestimate-Tim Tetrick-Casie Coleman
1A-9-KG Katriona-Yannick Gingras-Casie Coleman
2-1-U All BB-David Miller-Monte Gelrod
3-2-Dreams Are Great-Eric Goodell-Ross Croghan
4-3-Postmark-David Miller-Noel Daley
5-4-Stylish Solution-Brian Sears-Nat Varty
6-5-Enhance The Night-Tim Tetrick-Kevin McDermott
7-6-Ideal Weather-Yannick Gingras-Mickey Burke
8-8-Artcotic-Brian Sears-George Teague Jr.