The 94th Hambletonian Future Wager at the Meadowlands Racetrack will open its second pool on Friday, May 31, at 11:00 a.m.
The Road to the Hambletonian is underway for the 199 trotting colts and fillies eligible for the $1 million Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks.
This is the second of four pools opened in advance of the race to be held Saturday, August 3, at the Meadowlands.
The first Future Wager poll closed with Indiana-sired Swandre The Giant the favourite at 2-1. Swandre the Giant is set to make his first start at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Thursday, May 30 for new trainer Ron Burke.
Meadowlands handicapper Dave Brower has assigned the favorite status of 4-1 to Greenshoe, a Marcus Melander trainee whose first start in New Jersey Sire Stakes competition at the Meadowlands was an astonishing 1:51.2 mile finished with a last quarter of :26.2.
Empire Breeders Classic winner Gimpanzee, also from the Melander Stable, was tagged at 6-1. Swandre The Giant will now open at 8-1 in the second pool.
There are 54 of the 101 colts eligible entered in either races or qualifiers between now and Sunday, June 2 when the pool closes, with state-bred competition ongoing in in New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Wagering will be available at racetrack and online sites throughout North America and internationally, and wagering for the first pool closes on Sunday, June 2 at 11 p.m. (EDT).
The wager will be discussed at length on the Meadowlands weekend simulcast show.
Though fillies have their own division in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, several have started in the $1 million open event in recent years, most recently Atlanta, who became just the 14th filly to win a Hambletonian. The only filly not offered at field odds is Evident Beauty, at 20-1. Trained by ‘Nifty’ Norman, Evident Beauty is two-for-two this year in both her starts at the Meadowlands.
The 14 horses assigned odds in the pool are listed in alphabetical order. The mutuel field, No. 15, will consist of all remaining horses eligible, including all fillies eligible to the Oaks. There are no supplements permitted to the Hambletonian or Oaks.
The minimum future wager is $1 and all future wagers are win only. The winner of each pool will be determined by the official first-place finisher in the 2019 Hambletonian.
The third future wager pool will open Friday, July 5, at 11:00 a.m. through Sunday, July 7 and close at 11:00 p.m. The fourth and final pool opens Thursday, August 1, after the entries and elimination heats are sorted, and closes at post-time of the first elimination and/or heat of the Hambletonian on Saturday, August 3.
The Hambletonian Future Wager will be set-up in the tote system as one separate event.
Past performance lines for the Hambletonian eligible horses will be available free of charge on the Meadowlands website playmeadowlands.com. All rules and updates can be found there and on hambletonian.com.
2019 Hambletonian Future Wagering – Pool #2
HD-Horse-Morning Line Odds
1. Greenshoe/4-1
2. Gimpanzee/6-1
3. Swandre The Giant/ 8-1
4. Southwind Avenger/ 8-1
5. Dont LetEm/ 12-1
6. Pilot Discretion/ 12-1
7. Kings County/ 15-1
8. Super Schissel/ 15-1
9. Forbidden Trade/ 15-1
10. Green Manalishi S/ 15-1
11. Cantab Fashion/15-1
12. Osterc/15-1
13. Evident Beauty/20-1
14. Chin Chin Hall/20-1
15. All Other Horses/10-1
(17 per cent takeout – win wagering only - $1 minimum)
Future Wager Rules Can be found at meadowlandsracetrack.com/hambletonian/news.aspx?id=18630
(Meadowlands Racetrack / Hambletonian Society)