A four-pack of stakes with combined purses of more than $500,000 USD plus the first appearance on the same race card of the two horses who make up harness racing’s most intriguing matchup of the year will be presented at The Meadowlands on Saturday night, June 29.
Live harness racing takes place this Friday and Saturday, with 14-race programs that get underway at 6:20 p.m.
The Big M’s Championship Meet continues to roll closer to the Meadowlands Pace (July 13) and Hambletonian (Aug. 3) with some of the game’s biggest stars going at it in the Perfect Sting, Dave Brower Memorial, Crawford Farms and Six Pack.
In addition, the dynamic duo of the three-year-old colt and gelding trotting division, Karl and T C I, will race in separate splits of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial Scott Frost division.
The Perfect Sting for open mare pacers features Twin B Joe Fresh (4-5 on the morning-line), the Roses Are Red winner, against Sylvia Hanover (5-2), the 2023 Horse of the Year.
Ruthless Hanover (5-2) is looking to defend his title in the Brower, the race named for the longtime Big M lead TV host and oddsmaker. In his two starts this year, Ruthless Hanover has lived up to his name, recording winning times of 1:47.1 (on May 19) and 1:47.2 (on May 26) in his outings at Harrah’s Philadelphia. The clockings are two of the fastest this year in the sport.
The Crawford Farms pits Maxie Lee winner Venerate (2-1) against Its Academic (3-1), a lifetime earner of more than $2.3 million.
The Six Pack features three current stars in Cutler winner Jiggy Jog S (6-5), Armbro Flight champion Call Me Goo (7-2) and 2023 Hambletonian Maturity winner M Ms Dream (5-2).
The first of the two Scott Frost splits (race six) features Karl (1-5), the Nancy Takter trainee who’s won 12 of 13 lifetime starts, and, on the strength of win over T C I in the Breeders Crown, walked away with the Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Male Trotter hardware a year ago.
T C I (4-5), 12-for-14 lifetime and the leading money-earner in the division a year ago with more than $1.4 million, tops the second Scott Frost dash (race nine) for trainer Ron Burke.
There is no shortage of great storylines with the pair, as Yannick Gingras, Karl’s driver, is in search of his first Hambletonian win, while Burke, the all-time leading trainer in the history of the game, is also seeking his first grab at the Hambo brass ring.
In addition, the duo has met twice, and each has one win.
Finally, while many fans are hoping for a dream Hambletonian Day matchup, it’s possible Karl and T C I will meet for Round 3 on Meadowlands Pace Night in the $250,000 USD Stanley Dancer.
“Saturday’s program lights the candle for what should be an incredible stakes season,” said Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands' Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “And with the Breeders Crown returning to The Meadowlands [eliminations on Oct. 18 and 19; finals on Oct. 25 and 26], you can expect a constant flow of the sport’s greatest stars to be competing here for year-end honours throughout the 2024 racing season.”
In addition to the Meadowlands Pace, Hambletonian and Breeders Crown, The Big M will also play host to Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night (on Nov. 30).
There is a lot of great Meadowlands action that will be shown this year on the networks of FOX Sports. The Big M will be a part of “America’s Day at The Races” throughout the year, starting next week with the eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace from 8-11 p.m. on FS2.
Past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available on playmeadowlands.com.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)