East Rutherford, NJ — The upcoming weekend of racing, featuring eliminations for the $1.8 million Freshman Fall Final Four and an overnight peek at a few of the sport’s veteran stars looking forward to the $1 million Grand Circuit TVG Championships will serve as a hearty appetizer to nearly $3 million worth of finals on Saturday (Nov. 24) at The Meadowlands.

Friday’s headliners are a pair of $20,000 Open Handicap events, both of which contain TVG eligibles looking for a tightener before the final.

The Open Mare Pace is led by Pure Country (Yannick Gingras). The TVG Final will be the swan song for the great mare whose retirement following the TVG has already been announced. The triple Dan Patch Award winner will race sans hobbles for the first time on Friday as she closes in on $2.5 million in career earnings for owner/breeder Diamond Creek Racing and trainer Jimmy Takter.

The Open Trot boasts the point leader in both the TVG Open and Mare division squaring off for $20,000. After a sparkling beginning to his season that placed him atop the TVG leaderboard, Will Take Charge (Tim Tetrick) has not had his finest form for the past few months and looks to reclaim that position in these late stages for owner Mac Nichol. Ice Attraction’s campaign took an opposite course with early season struggles giving way to a successful fall including a world record equaling performance at Red Mile and a remarkable trip to gather the place in the Breeders Crown final. Andy Miller drives on Friday for owner/trainer Ake Svanstedt and partners Douglas Sipple, Mal & Janet Burroughs and Little E LLC.

Saturday night brings a few elimination races for the Grand Circuit season’s curtain call for the freshmen.

Fifteen trotting colts entered the Valley Victory and after a pair of elimination races the top ten of those will pass through to next week’s $435,900 final. It’s an even group with the seasonal late bloomers making a last grab for the gold ring before winter training.

The Governor’s Cup drew 13 colt pacers and after three colts accepted a bye into the $469,300 final ten are left to battle over the seven remaining berths. Breeders Crown winner Captain Crunch (Scott Zeron) brings the strongest resume to this one for trainer Nancy Johansson and the partnership of 3 Brothers Stable, Christina Takter, Rojan Stable and Caviart Farms.

Both the $490,000 Goldsmith Maid and $391,250 Three Diamonds for 2-year-old trotting and pacing fillies, respectively, did not require elimination races and those two groups head directly into next week’s finals.

For good measure, the Saturday card also includes TVG Open Pace point leader and likely final favorite McWicked facing four others in an overnight Open Handicap.

Post time for both nights is 7:15 p.m.