Meadowlands 2024 Stakes to Approach $25 Million

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

The Meadowlands is proud and excited to announce that the entire 2024 stakes program at the industry’s leading racetrack will offer nearly $25 million in purses. Greatly enhancing the Grand Circuit stakes presence this year will be the return of the Breeders Crown to the Garden State.

Harness Racing’s Greatest Day, the $3.5 million Hambletonian Day card on Saturday, August 3 will include the Hambo Oaks, Cane Pace & Shady Daisy, the John Cashman and Dr. John Steele Memorials for older trotters, Sam McKee Memorial and Lady Liberty for older pacers and the NJSS for freshman trotters, providing an unmatched line up of stakes in support of the $1 million Hambletonian final.

The 3-year-old stakes are led by the track’s signature race, The $700,000 Meadowlands Pace on Saturday, July 13. The “Biggest Party in Harness Racing” offers $2.5 million in purses and includes an imposing slate of supporting Grand Circuit stakes including the Mistletoe Shalee, Hambletonian Maturity, WR Haughton and Dorothy Haughton Memorials and coveted Hambletonian preps the Del Miller and Stanley Dancer Memorials.

The Breeders Crown brings its powerful year-end series, worth over $7 million in purses, back to New Jersey with the finals set for the weekend of October 25 & 26 and eliminations the previous weekend.

The 27th Arthur Cutler Memorial FFA trot will retain its customary position kicking off the Big M stakes season on Saturday, May 18. The “Championship Meet” hits turbo on Saturday, June 29 when the Dave Brower Memorial, Perfect Sting, Crawford Farms and Six Pack stakes for older horses set the table for six great weeks of Grand Circuit racing.

The New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) open in May with the 3-year-olds racing two $30,000 legs and $240,000 finals. Beginning in mid-July, a third leg has been added for the 2-year-olds with the purses set at $25,000 and $240,000 for the finals.

The New Jersey Classic Series (NJCS) for 2 & 3 year-olds is back with the same format of eliminations and finals with consolations. Trotting finals remain at $275,000 with the racers at $150,000.

The Graduate Series for 4-year-olds returns with the first $75,000 leg at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, June 1 followed by two more at The Meadowlands, leading into the July 6 $250,000 finals. Older trotting mares will have access to the Miss Versatility for six legs before the $100,000 final on Jug Day in Delaware, Ohio.

The 2-year-olds will have five $20,000 Kindergarten Series preliminary legs with the November 9 finals estimated at $1 million. Kindergarten final winners will again be awarded a “Win & You’re In” bonus into the Freshman Fall Final Four. Those winners will move directly to the final and draw for posts with any elimination winners toward the rich finals. (See stakes conditions. Horses must be eligible to the Freshman Fall Final Four).

The $1 million FanDuel Championships will try to maintain the lofty perch realized in 2023 and again be paired up with the $1.6 million Freshman Fall Final Four on a blockbuster November 30 card to the bring the curtain down on stakes season.

Payments begin on February 15 and pertinent information is available on The Meadowlands website.

The Meadowlands recognizes and appreciates the contribution of our stakes sponsors who help to make this ambitious undertaking possible. (All purses are estimates)