The Meadowlands Racetrack has releasing pertinent information regarding its 2020 stakes, which will offer total purses in the neighborhood of $14 million.
The marquee Grand Circuit stakes for older horses will have an important change in the racing conditions. The number of top money-winning horses in 2019-2020 accepted for those events will decrease from 12 to 11 and the distance will be kept to one mile, regardless of the number of starters.
The races affected by this change are the Arthur Cutler, John Cashman and Dr. John Steele Memorials on the trot and the WR Haughton and Sam McKee Memorial FFA paces, Golden Girls and Lady Liberty FFA mare paces and Mistletoe Shalee for three-year-old filly pacers.
The Kindergarten Classic Series for freshman trotters and pacers will also race five legs for an increased purse of $20,000 each, all at the Meadowlands starting in July. The $250,000 (estimated) finals are scheduled for September 18.
The Reynolds and Tompkins-Geers Grand Circuit stakes for two-year-olds have been moved from Tioga Downs to the Meadowlands in 2020. The dates for the freshman New Jersey Sire Stakes have been moved to later in the summer, and the finals have been set for August 21.
The Tompkins-Geers pacing stakes for three-year-old colts and fillies will also be raced at the Meadowlands and have been placed to provide a start between the Meadowlands Pace and Cane Pace.
The popular Miss Versatility series for trotting mares will offer five $40,000 legs this season. The stakes series will launch at Woodbine Mohawk Park in late May, then shift to the Meadowlands for the other four legs from July through September. The $100,000 (estimated) finals will again be contested on Little Brown Jug Day at the Delaware, Ohio County Fair.
The Meadowlands’ Standardbred Championship Meet will close on September 19 due to the Fall Thoroughbred Meet taking over use of the main track from October 2 through November 21. The Standardbreds will return on November 27 with the TVG Championships and Freshman Fall Final Four slated for Saturday, November 28 on a night boasting $3 million in purses.
All staking information is available on the Meadowlands website. Please call the race office at 201-842-5130 with questions.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)
That's great that The
That's great that The Meadowlands has once again made its major stakes races for older horses 1-mile races. Had The Haughton or The McKee been this distance last year, I think Lather Up would have broken the 1:46 all-age world record which he co-holds. Another change that I'd like to see: once again, there's a $400,000 Maturity race for 4yo trotters on the calendar. Why isn't there also a corresponding Maturity for 4yo pacers?? Pacing is the much more popular gait, and close to 80% of all harness races in North America are for pacers.