With last weekend’s 19 Breeders Crown eliminations now in the rear-view mirror, all of harness racing is readying itself for what’s to come this Friday night (Oct. 29) and Saturday afternoon (Oct. 30), when 12 'Crown' finals take place at The Meadowlands.

The Friday card has the four finals for two-year-olds and a post time of 6:20 p.m. for the first of 13 races. The 'Crown' events are slated for races six through nine.

On Saturday, there is a special early post time of 12 noon for another 13-race card. Races four through 11 will see both the four events for three-year-olds as well as the four-pack for older horses.

Harness racing’s year-end extravaganza, which always goes a long way toward determining Dan Patch divisional honours as well as U.S. Horse of the Year, returns to The Meadowlands for the first time since 2016 and will dole out purses of more than $7.2 million by the time the dust clears Saturday.

EIGHT OUT OF 10 AIN’T BAD: The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll that came out Tuesday sported a Top 10 that pretty much reads like the entries sheet for this weekend’s Breeders Crown.

Lyons Sentinel, Test Of Faith, Allywag Hanover, Venerable, Atlanta, Jujubee, Niki Hill, Hot Mess Express, Bella Bellini and Charlie May make up the Top 10, with eight of the horses racing at The Big M this Friday or Saturday.

It would have been nine, but Venerable went off stride last week, failing to qualify for her final. Hot Mess Express’ connections decided not to supplement their ineligible filly.

“The Breeders Crown will have all of the stars in the Standardbred universe competing at The Big M this weekend,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Eight of the top 10 horses in our sport will be there, making their cases for year-end honours. For everyone that loves the sport, it should be a glorious weekend, watching and wagering on the greatest stars in the game.”

EARLY BIRDS: Advance wagering for the Friday card will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday (Oct. 28) while early betting for Saturday’s program will kick off at 11 a.m. on Friday (Oct. 29).

$200,000? THAT’S GRAND! Over the course of Breeders Crown Weekend, there will be gobs of guaranteed green up for grabs in The Big M’s most popular multi-leg wager.

The 50-cent Pick-4 – which will be offered beginning in races six and 10 on both Friday and Saturday – will sport a guaranteed pool of $50,000 all four times the bet is available.

Over the course of the weekend, bettors will get to swim in a low 15 per cent takeout pool a dozen times.

In addition, a special Breeders Crown 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 – one that is comprised entirely of Breeders Crown events – will be offered on Saturday, as will mandatory payouts on the 20-cent Pick-5, 20-cent Pick-6, 10-cent Hi-5/Pentafecta as well the Pick-7. Meadowlands regulars should be aware that the Survivor Pick-7, which normally begins in race three, will start in race four during Breeders Crown Weekend.

CROSS COUNTRY PICK-5: The Meadowlands is once again joining forces with the New York Racing Association to offer an exciting wager on Saturday, the 50-cent Cross Country Pick-5, which will include three Breeders Crown events.

The sequence will include three races from The Big M and two from Belmont Park. Players will be able to experience a quicker fix than usual with a five-leg bet, as the entire wager will be conducted from start to finish in just 90 minutes.

The sequence (with probable post times) will be as follows:

· Leg A: Meadowlands Race 7 (2:51 p.m.)
· Leg B: Meadowlands Race 8 (3:27 p.m.)
· Leg C: Belmont Race 7 (3:47 p.m.)
· Leg D: Meadowlands Race 9 (4:01 p.m.)
· Leg E: Belmont Race 8 (4:21 p.m.)

The partnership is nothing new to NYRA and The Meadowlands, as they teamed up for the same wager on Hambletonian Day. Last week proved that Cross Country Pick-5 players can make a score, as the payoff of $28,318 proves.

GET YOUR FREE PROGRAMS HERE! Free program pages for every race of every Meadowlands race card are always available. Just go to playmeadowlands.com to access the no-cost past performances.

LISTEN FOR “THE VOICE”: The man on the microphone at The Meadowlands, Ken Warkentin, will welcome a well-known announcer into his booth on the roof for some Breeders Crown race calls over the weekend.

Roger Huston, the long-time announcer at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds, who last month called his 54th Little Brown Jug, will be on hand to call four of the 12 Crown events over the weekend. Huston will announce the first two 'Crown' races on both Friday and Saturday.

PROMOTIONS GALORE: Everyone coming out to the Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Championships on Friday will have a chance to win a trip to Maui, Hawaii.

In addition to the Maui vacation, there are also six other vacation packages fans have a chance to win. There are two to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; two to Las Vegas, Nevada and two to Vail, Colorado. All packages are for eight days, seven nights and are courtesy of Sundance Vacations.

The sweepstakes entry form is available in the live racing program and at the Players Club Desk. Winners will be randomly selected after races two, four and 10. The Grand Prize drawing for the Maui vacation will take place after race 10.

On Saturday, Breeders Crown Day 2, two promotions highlight the day.

The first 1,500 fans ages 18 or older will receive a Breeders Crown Mystery Voucher that is worth up to $500. All vouchers are worth at least $2 with various amounts including $5, $10, $50 and $500. The mystery vouchers will be available at the Players Club Desk and are one per person.

On Saturday, fans can also enter the $1,200 Breeders Crown Halloween Hat Contest. Fans are encouraged to design and wear their best Halloween-themed hat for a chance to win $900 in cash prizes. First prize is $500, second is $250, third place receives $100 and fourth places grabs $50.

There are $100 bonus prizes for scariest, funniest and best horse-themed hats. Fans will also get a $10 voucher if they come in full Halloween costume.

Fans can sign up for the hat contest from 10 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. The contest judging will take place in the winner’s circle following race three.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)