On Friday, Aug. 1, The Meadowlands released a statement regarding modified policies for stakes and early closer eligibility.
The release from Meadowlands appears below.
After consulting with those involved in the staking process, the initiative to add a participation fee to gain the option of nominating to Meadowlands Early Closers for the foals of 2024 has been modified to make it manageable and more easily understood.
The language in the bill submitted to request a casino at The Meadowlands is available by this link and provides that five per cent of the revenue be used for purses. In the event that a license is granted to only The Meadowlands, the legislated percentage for purses amount will have to be split with Monmouth Park.
It is vital that we are able to demonstrate that we are coming from strength to be able to negotiate a higher rate for purses.
Pertaining to this initiative, it is important to understand the distinction between “Stakes” (USTA 4.168: A race which will be contested in a year subsequent to its closing in which the money given by the track member conducting the same is added to the money contributed by the nominators) and “Early Closers” (USTA 4.49: A race for a definite amount to which declarations close at least six weeks preceding the race). Virtually all of The Meadowlands “Stakes” are actually by USTA definition “Early Closing Races” which means they start new every year, so the conditions, payments, purses, etc. may be adjusted with any changes included in the conditions.
The exception to this is the Meadowlands Pace which is actually a “Stake” that requires a yearling nomination payment and sustaining payments each year. "Stakes" conditions can’t be changed until the race is completed. This is also the rule for most Hambletonian Society administered races, so any of the actual “Stakes” races for which payments have been previously taken cannot be included in this initiative.
The initiative revealed last week designed to bolster purses and present a positive, thriving outlook as we make the drive toward securing a casino license for The Meadowlands will conclude in one of two ways. With the support of the program by those that stand stallions, raise and sell yearlings and participate in the Meadowlands races, our position will improve and purses for the races will go up by an estimated $500,000 USD. Without the necessary support, $1 million USD will be deducted from the stakes purse account to help cover the cost of sustaining overnight purses at a competitive level.
The Plan:
In appreciation of the efforts made toward this initiative, the Stallion Restriction Condition (Gural rule) will be waived for those stallions nominated to the plan listed below so that their foals of 2024 may be nominated for Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse. While the foals of 2024 by currently excluded stallions cannot be made eligible to “Stakes” races such as described above, they can be made eligible to all Meadowlands Early Closers which include all of The Meadowlands two-year-old races.
Next year, the foals of 2025 will be able to be nominated to both the Early Closers and Stakes if the sire has been nominated to the program.
The following Meadowlands Early Closer Participation payments must be made for foals of 2024 to be eligible for nomination to Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse.
All existing nominating and sustaining payments will still be required for the horse to be eligible for the Meadowlands Early Closers.
Stallion owners/syndicates:
Participation in the Meadowlands Early Closing program for foals of 2024 will be contingent upon the sire having been nominated by paying the equivalent of half (50 per cent) the cost of an annual breeding with a minimum of $1,000 (USD) for any stallion standing in North America for the 2023 breeding season. Horses standing in Canada shall adjust their annual breeding fee to the USD equivalent on the day of application. Horses standing outside North America are exempt. Private Treaty horses may be addressed on a case by case basis.
This stallion payment provides their foals of 2024 the opportunity to gain the option of nominating to Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse by making the one-time $400 Meadowlands EC Participation payment as listed below.
This stallion payment must be paid (postmarked by and electronic notification of intent to [email protected] received by The Meadowlands) no later than Sept. 1, 2025, so that yearling buyers will be aware if the sire of a potential purchase is nominated for the Meadowlands Early Closers when buying at the commercial yearling sales.
If a stallion is NOT nominated by the Sept. 1, 2025 payment, the 2024 foals of that sire will be ineligible to race in Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse.
Breeders, nominators, buyers and owners:
Any horse by a sire who HAS been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) that is sold at a commercial sale as a yearling (foals of 2024) will be required to make a one-time $400 Meadowlands EC Participation payment by February 15, 2026, to gain the option of nominating to Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse.
Any homebred (foals of 2024) by a sire who HAS been nominated by Sept. 1, 2025 (as above) will be required to make a one-time $400 Meadowlands EC Participation payment by Feb. 15, 2026, to gain the option of nominating to Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse.
ONLY foals of nominated stallions will be eligible to be nominated and sustained to The Meadowlands Early Closers for the life of the horse.
The above Feb. 15 payment will make the horse eligible to be nominated to the races listed below, the entire series of nominating and sustaining payments must then be made for the horse to be eligible to race in the chosen races.
- Meadowlands two-year-old Early Closers - NJ Classics, Kindergarten and Freshman Fall Final Four
- Meadowlands three-year-old Early Closers - Dancer Memorial, Miller Memorial, Silverman Memorial, NJ Classics, and all Reynolds and Tompkins-Geers stakes raced at The Meadowlands.
- All Meadowlands Early Closers for horses aged four and up.
Only those two-year-olds who have made the one-time $400 Meadowlands EC Participation payment by Feb. 15, 2026 will be eligible for nomination to Meadowlands three-year-old and older Early Closers and race in the two-year-old baby races.
Payments on Meadowlands Early Closers for two-year-olds will be pushed back to start on March 15 and adjusted accordingly.
This proposal will be reconsidered for 2027, and revision is possible.
(Meadowlands)