In the wake of the stakes scheduling havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 shutdown in the sport, the road to the 2020 Hambletonian has turned into more of a 'guideline.'
In an attempt to close some of the gaps on the calendar, the Meadowlands Racetrack and Hambletonian Society are sponsoring $25,000 overnight events for three-year-old trotting colts and fillies, Hambletonian-eligible preferred. Fillies will draw the inside if entered.
The races will be slated for Saturday, June 27 and Saturday, July 4 on the Meadowlands condition sheet.
With the rescheduling of many Grand Circuit stakes north and south of the border, from the Currier & Ives Trot at the Meadows to the prestigious Goodtimes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and the cancellation of such important races like the Earl Beal Memorial, trainers are scrambling to re-chart the course to the Hambletonian winner's circle, which has held firm to the date of Saturday, August 8 at the Meadowlands.
“We are trying to do everything we can to get all the various sire stakes, Grand Circuit stakes, closers and overnight horses raced," said Jason Settlemoir, COO/GM of the Meadowlands.
“We appreciate the Hambletonian Society partnering with us on creating this additional opportunity for Hambletonian-bound trotters."
The three-year-old trotters resume a schedule in July that includes the Currier & Ives (July 4, at the Meadows), Reynolds (July 11, Meadowlands), Stanley Dancer & Del Miller Memorial (July 18, Meadowlands) and the Tompkins-Geers (July 25, Meadowlands) prior to Hambletonian and Oaks eliminations on Saturday, August 1.
The $1-million Hambletonian is the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown. The $500,000 MGM Yonkers Trot (September 5, Yonkers Raceway) and the $500,000 Kentucky Futurity (October 11, the Red Mile) comprise the remaining legs.
(Hambletonian Society)
Rather than carding
Rather than carding additional races prior to The Hambletonian, I think it would make far more sense just to postpone the race for a month or two. The world's most famous horse race, The Kentucky Derby, was postponed, as was The Preakness, the Belmont, and in harness racing, the NA Cup.