BOYD HOPING FOR BRIGHT FUTURE AT BIG M

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Braxten Boyd is willing to put the work in now so that things down the road pay off in a big way.

The 26-year-old driver took the first three weeks of the year off from racing at The Meadowlands, yet, still finds himself firmly in fifth place in the standings there with 22 walks down victory lane.

A year ago, Boyd’s 71 wins at The Big M were good for fifth in the standings. Overall, he racked up 337 victories (to tie a career best) and earnings of $5 million (a career high) on the way to being selected as the 2025 Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner.

Boyd is experiencing what many drivers in his age group do: The grind.

But he’s OK with it.

“The New York Sire Stakes has been really good to me the last couple of years and I am planning on doing that a lot this year,” said Boyd. “Hopefully, I stumble into a horse that’s good enough on that circuit that could do some Grand Circuit racing. I’m open to doing anything. You just have to hope and pray you get the opportunity.”

Opportunity came knocking a year ago with the high-octane 3-year-old pacer Madden Oaks.

“Getting to taste that sweet victory in The Meadowlands Pace, and even the second-place finish in the North America Cup was something I’ll never, ever forget,” said Boyd. “To be in those races, what a blessing. Thank the Lord that we were able to win one of them.”

The back-to-back leading pilot at Tioga Downs knew there were nay-sayers critical of him before The Meadowlands Pace, and he was glad to silence them.

“There were some podcasts, and they said ‘Braxten has the morning-line favorite and he’s got no shot,’” said Boyd. “And I thought, well, I guess we’ll have to see.”

At the age of 21 in 2021, Boyd won 245 races, and has won at least that many every year since. He appreciates the opportunities at The Meadowlands that have come his way.

“The two biggest trainers that come to mind are Mark Silva and my (future) brother-in-law Tee Wine,” said Boyd. “Since I got out here five years ago, I don’t really drive for anybody that I originally came out here for, so it’s really funny how everything kind of changes. Mark, Tee and Amanda Fine have been very instrumental to my success.”

Boyd is chill when it comes to what lies ahead in the summer when names like Dunn, Gingras, McCarthy, Bartlett, Tetrick and Zeron start popping up on the entry sheet.

“We’re just kind of going to let it play out,” said Boyd. “I’m still getting some opportunities here and there. I just want to put my name out there in case they ever need me. The high-level trainers have a lot of power behind them, and sometimes being fourth or fifth on their list is just fine.

“I’ve been blessed enough to drive some for Marcus Melander on the New York Sire Stakes circuit the last couple of years. I might be fifth or sixth or seventh on the totem pole, but I do everything I can to get lucky and get one of their horses that you can do well with in the future.”

Thus, even after winning six times at The Big M last weekend, Boyd will once again drive primarily at Tioga once the warm weather hits.

“If somebody’s looking for a driver at Tioga, it doesn’t hurt that people know that I’m there a lot,” said Boyd.

But he still dreams of making The Meadowlands his year-round home base.

“I hope for that every day. It will create more opportunities for all of us out here. We’ll be racing there more days and I would definitely move closer,” said Boyd.

“We all dream of living those guys’ (The Meadowlands pilots) lifestyles but you realize how blessed you are with some of the chances you do get. Driving in The Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup, those are some of the most fun moments in my life, and, hopefully, we get to do it again. Still, sometimes it’s better to place yourself in a spot where you might get more work than getting the more powerful horses.”

For someone who will likely have thousands of drives over the next several decades, Boyd has an eye on the end of the road for both himself, and his fiancé, Brandy, who currently trains a few horses.

“(In five years) Hopefully, I’m at The Meadowlands and Pocono and living closer to The Meadowlands. Hopefully, we have a casino there and race more days at The Meadowlands, too. And I can retire early.”

PULSATING PREPS: Saturday (April 4) is the biggest day on the calendar for Kentucky Derby prep races. With the 152^nd “Run for the Roses” just four weeks away (Saturday, May 2), here are the three races sure to get Thoroughbred racing fans’ hearts pumping.

As always, head for the expansive simulcast area at The Meadowlands to watch and wager on every Derby prep, right up until Derby Day and into the entire Triple Crown series, which includes the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

The three races on Saturday are (all times are EDT):

• The Blue Grass at Keeneland, which goes for a purse of $1,250,000: The Blue Grass is race 11 on an 11-race card at Keeneland.

Further Ado is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. He is trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. Post time for The Blue Grass is 6:22 p.m. Post time for the first race at Keeneland is 1 p.m.

• The Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, which goes for a purse of $500,000: The Wood is race 12 on a 12-race card at The Big A.

Unbeaten Iron Honor is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for trainer Chad Brown. Champagne winner Napoleon Solo is the 7-2 second choice. Post time for The Wood is 6:34 p.m. Post time for the first race at Aqueduct is 12:40 p.m.

• The Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita, which goes for a purse of $750,000: The Santa Anita Derby is race 10 on a 12-race card at Santa Anita, and has a post time of 7:46 p.m.

Two horses certain to attract a lot of attention at the windows are the Bob Baffert-trained duo of Potente and Cherokee Nation. Post time for the first race at Santa Anita is 3 p.m.

NEW POST TIME: Beginning Friday (April 3), The Meadowlands will move its post time to 6:35 p.m.

“We have analyzed our handle with both early and late start times and believe that moving back post time will help the handle, which, in turn, helps the horsemen and women, the State of New Jersey and the racetrack,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir.

With the exception of July 4 (6 p.m.) and August 8 (noon), all live harness racing programs at The Meadowlands will begin at 6:35 p.m. for the remainder of 2026.

BOZICH AND LITTLE LIGHT IT UP: It was a good night on the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set Saturday (March 28) night, as co-host Mike Bozich, the voice of Harrah’s Philadelphia, and Big M TV veteran host Dave Little both had extraordinary nights.

Bozich finished the card with seven winners, including the last four in a row. His night got off to a terrific start when he gave out Hes A Sweetheart ($11.80 to win) in the first race to go along with a $100 exacta and the $618.20 trifecta.

His “Final Four” included the Pick-3s in both the 13^th and 14^th races, which paid $34.30 and $25.40, respectively.

Little tabbed six on top, but his followers were most pleased after playing his Early 50-cent Pick-4, when Little used short-priced favorites in the sixth and ninth races as “singles”. After catching a 6-1 winner in the seventh race and a 9-2 chance in the eighth, Little’s fans cashed in for $766.40 after an investment of just $36.

GET YOUR FREE PROGRAMS: To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.

Go to playmeadowlands.com, then click on the “news” dropdown to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.

A GREAT WAY TO PLAY: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.

Here is the rundown of when these wagers will be offered on the 14-race programs that will take place this Friday and Saturday:

• Races 1-5:20-cent Pick-5
• Races 3-10:$1 PK 8
• Races 6-9:Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Races 8-13:20-cent Pick-6
• Races 10-13:Late 50-cent Pick 4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 14:10-cent Pentafecta (Hi-5)

CHECK OUT FACEBOOK AND X: Check out The Meadowlands on Facebook (@meadowlandsracetrack) for race replays, interviews, carryover updates, promotional videos and much more.

Everything Meadowlands is also available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

Stay in touch with The Big M talent duo of Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

FANDUEL FRENZY: Meadowlands regulars who love to plunk down a bet or two on professional sports, know all they have to do is head for the FanDuel Sportsbook, the No. 1 betting facility of its type in North America.

It couldn’t be easier to do, as it’s located inside the grandstand at The Meadowlands. There are massive TV screens and self-service betting terminals, which enable fans to watch and wager in comfort while having some great food and drink.

The Major League Baseball season is now kicking into high gear, so get you peanuts and Cracker Jack and get in on the game.

On Thursday (April 2), the New York Mets travel to San Francisco for a 9:45 p.m. matchup with the Giants. The Mets are a -124 favorite in the game that has an under/over of 7½ runs.

The New York Yankees are off on Thursday, but will host the Miami Marlins in their home opener on Friday (April 3) at 1:35 p.m.

Get ready for the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The two games take place on Saturday (April 4).

At 6:09 p.m., Illinois is a 2½-point favorite over UConn. On the money line, Illinois is -130 and UConn is +108. The under/over is 139½ points.

At 8:49 p.m., Michigan is a 1½-point favorite over Arizona. On the money line, Michigan is -122 and Arizona is +102. The under/over is 157½ points.

The Championship Game is on Monday, April 6. Tip-off is at 8:50 p.m.

Whatever the sport, for the latest odds, go here.

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open for business Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. – midnight.