East Rutherford, NJ – Thursday night’s (Dec. 20) card opens a cornucopia of pari-mutuel delights at The Meadowlands with 34 races, the majority of which are filled to capacity, on the menu for the weekend.

Full fields should draw full houses this holiday weekend at The Meadowlands. Lisa Photo.

Peter Kleinhans will “Borrow Ken’s Binoculars” and call the 10-race Thursday card this week. Mr. Kleinhans has done it all in the biz including, but not limited to: horse owner, trainer, amateur driver and occasional television personality. His resume includes stints as the race caller at the now-defunct Lakeshore Meadows, as well as Hoosier Park, Chester Downs (now Harrah’s Philadelphia) and The Red Mile.

With all of the local competition for horse flesh closed for the year or on holiday hiatus, Racing Secretary Pete Koch found nearly 400 entries (more than double the usual amount) in his entry box for Friday (Dec. 21) and Saturday’s (Dec. 22) double draw and will end 2018 with an embarrassment of riches from which to create large and competitive fields.

Along with the equine talent, the driver’s room is awash with talent as well creating an environment that finds the horseplayer flush with options for bolstering the holiday bankroll.

Continuing the gambling theme, this week’s lead promotion is Saturday’s World Harness Handicapping Contest, presented by Derby Wars qualifier. The beauty part of this contest is that the cost to enter is a very user-friendly zero, zip, nada…it’s free to play and the winner will receive a seat at the table valued at $1,300 in the $150,000 (estimated) April 6, 2019 WHHC final.

The standard horizontal guarantees are in place and free past performances are available for those wagers throughout the weekend along with expert selections from Meadowlands racing personalities.

Post time is 7:15 p.m. each evening.