The 2008 Breeders Crown races for two and three-year-olds will approach a combined $5 million in purses for the eight-race post-Thanksgiving extravaganza at the Meadowlands Racetrack on November 29.

The finals for freshman pacers and trotters will race for a guaranteed $700,000 (U.S.), making them the richest two-year-old finals in the U.S. and the highest 'Crown' purses for those divisions in the last 10 years.

Many of the sport's top two-year-olds will qualify Friday at Gaitway Farm as a prep for the Breeders Crown, including Woodrow Wilson and Metro Stakes winner Major In Art and Dial or No Dial, a winner of eight of ten starts this year. Also entered in qualifiers is Peter Haughton winner Muscle Hill.

The $500,000 (gtd.) Breeders Crown sophomore events carry a supplemental tag of $62,500. Supplemental declarations for the four three-year-old events are due and payable on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 12:00 noon in the racing secretary's office at the Meadowlands. A one-time supplemental payment makes a horse eligible to subsequent years Breeders Crown events under the normal schedule of payments. There are no supplements for the two-year-old races.

The starting fee is included in the supplemental amounts, and all supplemental money, minus the starting fee, may be added to the purse of the individual events.

Horses eligible to the Breeders Crown events must enter by 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 18, also at the Meadowlands race office.

Eliminations for two-year-old colt and filly trotters and pacers, if needed, will be raced on Friday, November 21 and eliminations for three-year-old colt pacers and trotters will take place Saturday, November 22.

The connections of elimination winners may pick their post position for the finals.

The Breeders Crown eliminations kick off the holiday harness meet at the Meadowlands, which is loaded with first-class racing and exciting promotions.

(Breeders Crown)