One of the most highly anticipated days on the harness racing calendar will take place on Saturday at Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Canadians will be well represented over the course of the 2013 Hambletonian stakes card.
The following lists the horses competing on Hambo Day with owners, breeders, trainers and/or drivers based in Canada.
The first of 15 races on the action-packed program will be the $125,000 Miss New Jersey and includes Ms Caila J Fra amongst the field of New Jersey-sired sophomore pacing fillies.
The $321,700 Merrie Annabelle (race two) will include two-year-old trotting fillies Steppin Out, Struck By Lindy and Moonlight In Miami.
The next race featuring four-year-old trotting mares in the $55,000 Im A Lulu Series Final will include Love N Lindy, preliminary leg winner One More Ginny, Personal Style, and Lovely Vacation.
Artsicape Pace champion Camille will have to overcome an outside post nine start in the $217,100 Lady Liberty (race four) for older pacing mares.
Two-year-old trotters Great Society and Song In My Heart will face off in the $280,500 Peter Haughton Memorial.
The field for the $75,000 Vincennes Free-For-All Trot (race six) includes Take My Picture, From Above, mare Cedar Dove, Little Brown Fox and Coco Lindy.
Hambletonian contenders will include sophomore trotters High Bridge, O'Brien Award winner Wheeling N Dealin, Your So Vain, Murmur Hanover, Earl Beal Jr. Memorial champion Corky and Spider Blue Chip. The $70,000 elimination heats run from races seven to nine with the $1 million final scheduled for race 12.
Canada's reigning Older Trotter of the Year Mister Herbie will compete in the $318,350 John Cashman Jr. Memorial (race 10) along with Luckycharm Hanover, Guccio and Uncle Peter.
O'Brien Award winner Bee A Magician will put her undefeated sophomore record on the line in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks (race 11) for sophomore trotting fillies and will face off against Dan Patch Award winner To Dream On with Time To Kill in the mix.
The field for the $250,000 New Jersey Classic for New Jersey-sired three-year-old pacers includes Rockin Amadeus, Emeritus Maximus, Always There, Word Power, and Lucan Hanover.
The $213,650 U.S. Pacing Championship (race 14) features elimination winner Warrawee Needy along with Thinking Out Loud, Roll With Joe and William Haughton Memorial champion Pet Rock, Hurrikane Kingcole, and Modern Legend.
Finally, the $40,000 Auld Lange Syne Free-For-All Pace will close out the card and includes Dapper Dude and Erle Dale N among its starters.