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Friday, July 17, 2015

Pace NIght Fun at The Meadowlands

East Rutherford, NJ – The “Greatest Party in Harness Racing" is at The Meadowlands on Saturday night as the continent's best sophomore pacing colts contest The $706,000 Crawford Farms  Meadowlands Pace.

The track’s signature race will be supported by an All-Star card worth over $2.5 million in purses. The races 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 3-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 3-year-old pacing fillies serves as the filly companion to the Pace. It's the seventh race, opening a $100,000 Guaranteed 15% take-out Pick 4 (races 7-10) 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 bevvy 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 stake 20 years ago with She's A Great Lady. She has a stable mate leaving 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.

Ronnie Burke has three in the final, including the winner of last week's elimination, Band Of Angels who he trains for Bill Donovan. Yannick Gingras sticks with her, leaving the drive on Burke, Panhellenic Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Larry Kerr's   good filly Sassa Hanover to Matt Kakaley. Happiness (Joe Bongiorno) rounds out the triumvirate.

The Show Returns draws inside and she's certainly a player for owners Richard & 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 from the time that the gates are opened at 5:00 pm.  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.

Stay informed of all Pace night doings by liking our Facebook page  and following along on Twitter with the #Pace15.

The fun starts at 7:15 pm.