The 2024 Hambletonian Day card is set for Saturday, Aug. 3 at The Meadowlands, with eight of the sport's top 10 ranked Standardbreds slated for action on a stakes-packed afternoon with more than $3.45 million in purses up for grabs.
Elimination winner Karl drew post one for the $1.05 million Hambletonian Stakes and was made the 6-5 morning line favourite in the 99th edition of the sport’s premier event for three-year-old trotters, slotted as Race 12 on Saturday.
T C I, who won the second of last week’s two Hambletonian eliminations, drew post four and was made the 5-2 second choice. The event’s post draw and press conference were held on Tuesday, July 30 at Hogan Equine, along with the draw for the Hambletonian Oaks.
In the Oaks, Elista Hanover drew post position one and was installed as the 9-5 morning line favourite in the $525,000 event, Race 14 on Saturday. Click here for more on the Hambletonian and Oaks post position draws.
First post time for Saturday's star-studded card of harness racing is 12 p.m., with the major stakes events getting underway in the second race. There, a stout five-horse field will compete in the second leg of pacing's Triple Crown — the $248,000 Cane Pace. Legendary Hanover (PP3, James MacDonald) returns to the scene of his most recent victory, the 2024 Meadowlands Pace and fronts a field five that includes a number of familiar faces, including Captains Quarters (PP1, Jody Jamieson) and Mirage Hanover (PP2, Tim Tetrick).
More than twice as many three-year-old pacing fillies were entered for the $101,000 Shady Daisy, with 11 fillies entered and divisional standouts Its A Love Thing and My Girl EJ sitting this one out. Caviart Belle (PP2, Yannick Gingras) sports back-to back wins at the Big M, prevailing in the July 13 Jerry Silverman Memorial and July 27 Tompkins-Geers. She's likely to receive solid public support in this overflow field, heading to the gate in Race 5.
By virtue of his 1:53.2 score on July 19, Tactical Dynasty (PP5, Gingras) is the fastest two-year-old trotter of 2024. On the board in all three of his appearances thus far, Tactical Dynasty will aim for his second lifetime win in the $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final for two-year-old male trotters. This tilt, the sixth race on the afternoon, features a field of 10 freshmen.
In just five seasonal starts, Abuckabett Hanover (PP2, Dexter Dunn) has already surpassed his 2023 earnings total in eight fewer appearances. The winner of the Dave Brower Memorial and the William R. Haughton Memorial at The Meadowlands in his last two outings, Abuckabett Hanover will look to best 10 rivals in the eighth race on Saturday, the $220,000 Sam McKee Memorial for older pacers. His rivals include Graduate champ Voukefalas (PP10, Jordan Stratton) and world record holders Its My Show (PP6, Scott Zeron), Allywag Hanover (PP8, Todd McCarthy) and Ruthless Hanover (PP9, Andy Miller).
A 2023 Dan Patch Award winner, Bond (PP7, Ake Svanstedt) makes her long-awaited four-year-old debut on Saturday in the afternoon's 10th race. She's headed straight for the deep end of the pool, diving into the older trotting mare ranks with nine others in the $160,000 Dr. John R. Steele Memorial. This fierce field of femme fatales features the likes of M Ms Dream (PP1, David Miller), Mambacita (PP2, Dunn), Special Way (PP3, Tim Tetrick), Call Me Goo (PP8, Dunn also listed) and Tactical Mounds (PP9, Zeron).
Those competitors are strong enough without including the top-ranked trotting mare in the sport, Jiggy Jog S. She is racing on Saturday in the very next race, drawing post three in the $282,000 John Cashman Memorial for older trotters. Regular pilot Dexter Dunn is listed on the seasonally-unbeaten five-year-old, last seen in action on June 29 in the $154,110 Six Pack at The Meadowlands. Among the rivals in the 11-horse field are the two fastest trotters of 2024, stablemate Southwind Tyrion (PP6, Svanstedt) and Winners Bet (PP8, Andy McCarthy).
After the main event in Race 12, two-year-olds return to action in the $240,000 NJSS final for trotting fillies. The fastest filly in this division this year is Kendra (PP7, Gingras) and fronts a four-horse armada from trainer Nancy Takter that includes early season stakes winners Spicy Nice (PP1, Andy McCarthy), Torrisi (PP5, James MacDonald) and Champagne Problems (PP6, Dunn).
The Hambletonian Oaks is slated as Race 14, the penultimate stakes event of the day. Saving the best for last in a sense, harness racing's top ranked Standardbred of 2024 is Twin B Joe Fresh (PP7, Dunn), the one with the target on her back in the $146,000 Lady Liberty for older pacing mares. A formidable foursome drew to her inside, including 2023 Lady Liberty champ Silver Label (PP1, Zeron), 2024 Clara Barton winner and longtime archrival Sylvia Hanover (PP3, Tetrick), 2023 Dan Patch Award winner Grace Hill (Doug McNair) and O'Brien Award winner Prohibition Legal (PP5, James MacDonald) in her Meadowlands debut.
In addition to the major stakes events, there are a number of lucrative events for those not competing in the Hambletonian, Hambletonian Oaks, Sam McKee and John Cashman Memorials. Three-year-old trotting fillies kick off the card with the first of two $30,000 divisions of the Continental Victory, with those nine-horse fields carded as Races 1 and 4.
Three-year-old male trotters take to the track in the third race, the $50,000 Muscle Hill. Ten horses will head postward in the seventh race, a $50,000 Preferred Pace, while the ninth race is the $60,000 Vincennes for older trotters.
(Standardbred Canada; all purses listed in USD)