Officials with the Meadowlands Racetrack have announced details on some of the promotions that will be part of this Saturday’s $706,000 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night.
The track’s signature race will be supported by an all-star card that will feature more than $2.5 million in purses. The high-end races on the card include the $443,300 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-old trotters, the $430,600 William R. Haughton Memorial featuring Free-For-All pacers, the $213,450 Golden Girls for Free-For-All pacing mares, the $187,000 Del Miller Memorial for three-year-old filly trotters and a pair of divisions for the sophomore colt trotters in the $315,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial.
The $207,350 Mistletoe Shalee for three-year-old pacing fillies serves as the filly companion to the ‘Pace.’ It's the seventh race, opening a $100,000 (guaranteed) 15 per cent take-out Pick 4 (Race 7 through Race 10) and may require starting the sequence by pressing the ‘all’ button as you place that wager. With last season's division leader JK Shesalady currently sidelined, there is a bevy of pacing beauties scratching and clawing their way toward the divisional tiara.
Bettor Be Steppin ‘stepped up’ in the hotly contested Lynch final at Pocono, benefitting from a heady steer by Corey Callahan to win for trainer Joe Holloway, who won the stakes event 20 years ago with Shes A Great Lady. She has a stablemate that will start from the rail in Divine Caroline, who will have the services of Brian Sears for the first time on Saturday. Both fillies race for the interests of Val D'Or, Ted Gewertz and Rojan Stable, with Michael Ouriel joining the Divine Caroline group.
Trainer Ron Burke has three starters in the final, including the winner of last week's elimination, Band Of Angels, who he trains for Bill Donovan. Driver Yannick Gingras will be sticking with her, as he has opted off the drive on Burke, Panhellenic Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Larry Kerr's good filly Sassa Hanover (pilot Matt Kakaley will take her reins). Happiness (to be driven by Joe Bongiorno) rounds out the triumvirate.
The Show Returns has drawn inside, and she's certainly a player for owners Richard and Joanne Young. The 2015 NJSS Final winner has the speed to get to a spot quickly if necessary for driver Tim Tetrick and a habit of offering value to the horseplayer. Chris Ryder is her conditioner.
Aside from the talent on the track, Pace night is filled with promotional activities which will start as soon as the gates open at 5 p.m. The Meadowlands Pace T-Shirt giveaway is always highly anticipated, and the 2015 edition is way cool. Customers can sign up for a myriad of giveaway activities, including Horse Play, the $1 million Ball Drop, $500 win wagers on the Pace and wagering vouchers will be given away at Victory Terrace.
The Backyard will play host to the Pastmasters band and plenty of family-related entertainment activities.
Inside, dining options are available in all of the new grandstand's exciting venues.
First-race post time for Saturday’s Pace card is 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands)