Longtime Meadowlands fans might be feeling a bit nostalgic this weekend about a time long ago when the track hosted a handful of stakes races for two-year-olds and called the event “Million-Dollar Babies.”
On Saturday (Nov. 13) night, the Kindergarten Classic Series Finals for freshmen of each sex and gait will bring back memories – and huge money – as the 13-race program will be highlighted by the four dashes that will go for purses totalling $1,054,350.
The biggest star of the night will attempt to keep shining in the ninth race filly pace, which sports a purse of $220,110. The horse to beat is the Chris Ryder-trained Niki Hill, whose last start resulted in a dominant win in the $600,000 Breeders Crown.
Brett Pelling student Hammering Hank, off a big win in the final Kindergarten leg a week ago, tops the 11th race $238,700 colts and geldings pace. He’s lost only twice in his nine-race career, both times to Breeders Crown champion Monte Miki.
Pretender and Fast As The Wind are both off final-leg victories heading into what appears to be a wide-open $300,960 colts and geldings trot in race five while Palermo Hanover and Misswalner Fashion, also both off final-leg scores, are the ones to watch in the seventh race $294,580 filly trot.
The season-ending scrum for resume-boosting victories will then continue next week (November 20) at The Big M on Fall Final Four/TVG Finals Night when many divisional honours and, quite possibly, Horse of the Year will be decided on the final circle-worthy date of 2021 on the harness racing calendar.
That evening, there will be four events for two-year-olds and four for three-year-olds and up, with estimated purses in excess of $2.5 million.
SIMULCAST SPECIAL: This afternoon at Dover Downs, there’ll be plenty of firepower on display as the five-eighths-mile oval will host four divisions of the Matron Stakes for three-year-olds with purses totalling just under $600,000.
Bella Bellini, In Range, Test Of Faith, Grace Hill, Fire Start Hanover, Lous Pearlman, Rockyroad Hanover, Abuckabett Hanover and Charlie May are some of the horses who will be competing on the card.
Watch and wager on the entire Dover Downs card at The Meadowlands. Post time for the first race at Dover is 4:30 p.m.
LIVE AT THE BIG M: Racing continues at The Meadowlands through the end of the year with the usual Friday-Saturday schedule, with one exception, as there will be no live racing on December 24 or December 25.
The Big M’s live in-house simulcast presentation gets underway at 5:47 p.m. with the first race at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands)