The Meadowlands Racetrack will return to two nights of live racing this Friday and Saturday with first-race post times remaining at 6:35 p.m. as a result of the handle successes that the track realized during the holiday schedule.

Fourteen races will populate the Friday card. The program has just one race that will field fewer than ten horses, and the card also has a pair of Open Trots as the twin features.

The $25,000 Open I Handicap has been carded as Race 9 and features an evenly-matched field of nine in quest of the winner’s share. The talented group is led by Opulent Yankee and Somebody AS, who drew for outside posts for this week’s race.

Opulent Yankee blossomed into a top performer last season in the Julie Miller barn, earning $154,381 with a remarkably consistent 17 one-two finishes from 21 starts. He’s had three starts back off his fall hiatus, resulting in a pair of seconds, though he hasn’t raced since December 18. Opulent Yankee races for the partnership of Jeff Gural’s Little E, LLC, Art Geiger, Jason Settlemoir and Dave Stolz.

Somebody AS found his best form late last year for trainer Anette Lorentzon and took a career mark of 1:52.1 in his final start of 2015. Keen gate speed is part of his arsenal and driver Tim Tetrick may need to use that tool to put Somebody AS in play on this occasion for owners ACL Stuteri and Kjell Johansson.

One of the entrants in the feature, Lindys Tru Grit, is among the solid group of 270 horses consigned to the upcoming Tattersalls January Select Sale on Monday, January 18.

Also on Friday, The Meadowlands will join with horsemen to benefit those affected by Monday night’s tragic fire at Classy Lane Training Center in Ontario. Details on how you may help are available here.

(Meadowlands)