BETTING TOPS $5 MILLION ON MEADOWLANDS PACE NIGHT

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Meadowlands Pace Night (July 13) brought a mixture of predictability and surprise, and was highlighted by the fastest-ever Pace – a mythical 1:46.3 mile put up by Legendary Hanover – as well as the third $5-million night of business at the windows over the last five Pace Nights.

Wagering on the 14-race program totaled $5,136,129.

The Pace – as well as five other major stakes events – were broadcast live to a nationwide audience on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) as The Big M and the TV team at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) continue to team up in a continuing effort to expand harness racing’s exposure.

“Without question, FOX Sports has raised the bar significantly,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “I want to thank NYRA and their team for their commitment to excellence in broadcasting. The three-hour show was informative, and their exciting way of showing the best in Standardbred racing to an international audience has clearly raised the interest on Meadowlands Pace Night to another level.”

The numbers prove that Meadowlands Pace Night clearly is bigger at the most important place: the windows.

The average Pace Night handle over the last five years (2020-2024) is $5,051,261. That number is over $1-million more than the $4,048,993 Pace Night averaged over the first five years of the New Meadowlands era (2011-2015).

A GREAT NIGHT AT THE RACES: The Meadowlands Pace Night card brought non-stop excitement, and also brought just the right amount of likely and unlikely results to keep all players in the game all night long.

The on-track crowd packed the apron on the hot summer night to enjoy many different choices from the many food trucks that were on site. In addition, some patrons got to be judges in the “Best Burger” contest, which is always a popular promotion at the mile oval.

A recap of the races:

• Meadowlands Pace: Legendary Hanover turned in a story-book performance, setting a stakes record with his sizzling 1:46.3 clocking. Three-time defending O’Brien Award-winning Driver of the Year (for being the top pilot in Canada) James MacDonald became the first Canadian-based pilot to win the Pace in 37 years.

Nijinsky, the No. 1 horse in the sport coming into the race, was second, completing a trainer Tony Beaton exacta.

• William Haughton Memorial: This is the race two years ago that saw Bulldog Hanover record the fastest mile in harness racing history of 1:45.4. This year’s edition confirmed who the top older pacer in the game is now as Abuckabett Hanover followed up his 1:47.3 win in the Dave Brower Memorial with a 1:47.4 Haughton score.
• E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity: After an alert getaway from post 10, Chapercraz rallied from fifth at the head of the stretch before prevailing at the wire by a neck in a four-horse photo, scoring at odds of 32-1 to top a $7,000 trifecta and a 10-cent superfecta that returned just under $60,000. Even-money favorite – and Graduate champion – Winner’s Bet finished 10^th in the 12-horse field.
• Dorothy Haughton Memorial: All hail the Queen! After adding the Haughton trophy to a mantle that already has the 2024 Perfect Sting, Roses Are Red and Betsy Ross hardware on it, Twin B Joe Fresh became the top-ranked horse in the weekly Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Top 10 poll. The superstar 4-year-old mare has won five races in a row.
• Jerry Silverman Memorial: Caviart Belle came from well off the pace to take the first of two divisions while Its A Love Thing wore down leader My Girl EJ nearing the wire in the second dash.
• Del Miller Memorial: French Champagne stamped herself as a big-time player in the Hambletonian Oaks as she followed up her win in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final with a victory in the first of two Miller splits. After going off-stride in each of her two outings coming into the second division, R Melina minded her manners to pick up her 11^th win from 19 lifetime starts.
• Miss Versatility (4^th leg): Tactical Mounds recorded her second straight Versatility victory by grabbing the lead and holding off heavy favorite M-M’s Dream.
• Stanley Dancer Memorial: These two divisions provided the most shocking results of the night, and in the process, turned the Hambletonian upside down.

In the first division, the unbeaten Karl had the lead at the head of the stretch, but could not hold off the late rallies of Sig Sauer and Tony Adams S, who finished first and second, respectively, as Karl finished third, the first time in his 15 career starts that he failed to finish in the top two. Sig Sauer returned $138 to win, and paid a remarkable $335.80 to place, as bridge jumpers took it on the chin with Karl in the place pool (there was no show wagering).

The second split featured the other two of the three early Hambo favorites, T C I and Highland Kismet, but Situationship picked up his third win of the year in four tries to jump into the Hambletonian fray. T C I finished third, while Highland Kismet was well off the gate at the start before finishing sixth in the seven-horse field.

The Hambletonian picture is fuzzy to say the least, and after the Dancer, it makes for what promises to be a highly-competitive 99^th edition of the $1-million dash.

The Hambo eliminations take place in nine days at The Big M (on July 27), with the seven-figure final to follow seven days later (on Aug. 3) on Closing Day at the mile oval.

BIG MONEY: After Legendary Hanover won the Meadowlands Pace, there was one winning ticket in the 20-cent Pick-6, which was good for a return of $57,497.22.

The biggest 50-cent Pick-4 pool of the year was recorded on races eight through 11 after $144,968 was pushed through the windows.

Big pools were the norm on Pace night, with large numbers bet on the Early 20-cent Pick-5 ($82,353), Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($77,881), Late Pick-4 ($80,805) and Late Pick-5 ($68,630).

BURGER BATTLE: When the dust cleared and the judges’ made their decisions, these were the winners in Saturday night’s “Burger Battle.”

• Antijitos de Mi Tierra Colombian Cheeseburger: Lettuce, tomatoes, black angus beef patty, caramelized onions, potato sticks, house sauces (garlic cilantro, pink, sauce and pineapple sauce)
• Lots of Meat BBQ Big Daddy Smash:Double patties smashed with yellow onions and topped with American cheese, thinly sliced pickles and red onions, fresh arugula, potato sticks and a tangy “Big Mac”-style burger sauce
• Holy Grail Burger Double Smashed Angus: Vidalia onions, bacon, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, on a buttered and toasted brioche
• Best Patty: Antijitos de Mi Tierra
• Most Unique: Tie between Groomington Eats for their doggie treat burger and fries and Uncle Rob’s Kettle Corn’s Chocolate Caramel Kettle Corn bun with sweet and salty pretzel ice cream patty