East Rutherford, NJ - The
Meadowlands is pleased to announce an extensive 2017 stakes program with total
purses in the neighborhood of $12 million. Grand Circuit stakes represent
the vast majority of that amount featuring the $1.5 million
Hambletonian and Oaks, $1.25 million Fall Final Four, $1.2 million TVG
Championships, $1 million Graduate Series and $750,000 Meadowlands Pace along
with nearly $1 million in New Jersey Sires Stakes purses.
"We are able
to maintain the 2017 stakes program with the help of sponsors from
within the business and we are grateful for their support. With the Breeders
Crown at Hoosier this year we picked up the Fall Final Four to give those
races a home and open the Fall Meet in November," said Meadowlands
Chairman & CEO Jeff Gural.
The Saturday,
August 5 Hambletonian Day program (noon post time) worth over
$3.5 million in purses on harness racing's greatest day will
include important stakes for every division. The $1 million Hambletonian
and $300,000 Cane Pace provide fans the opportunity to see a leg of
both the trotting and pacing triple crowns on the same card.
Leading up to the
Hambletonian, the Tompkins-Geers stake for three-year-old trotting fillies and
colts is coming to The Meadowlands on Saturday, July 22 to avail horsemen
prepping for the Hambo and Oaks the option of one more start over the mile oval
going into the big race.
Meadowlands Pace
night is Saturday, July 15 this year and a full complement of important stakes
on the undercard will support that $750,000 race for sophomore pacing
colts. The $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity will serve as a co-feature. An early
post time of 6:30 is scheduled for Pace night.
The $1.25 million
Freshman Fall Final Four returns to the Garden State where they began 27 years
ago. The Valley Victory and Goldsmith Maid for trotters and Governor's Cup and
Three Diamonds for pacers will join the $1.2 TVG Free For All Championship
Finals kicking off the 2017 Fall Meet with all finals scheduled for Saturday,
November 25
The $200,000
Arthur Cutler Memorial Open Trot has been moved to Kentucky Derby Day,
May 6. The Cutler winner will be awarded an invitation to compete in
the 2017 Elitlopp which will be raced on Sunday, May 28, this
year. Although the Cutler will have no restrictions regarding the
use of trotting hopples and/or Lasix, the their use is prohibited in
the Elitlopp and if their invitation to compete is accepted it must be
done with that understanding. Swedish racing officials wish to make
it known that there will be a direct flight to Solvalla for this year's race as
was done in 2017.
The $1 million
Graduate Series for 4 year olds also begins on May 6 at the Meadowlands,
travels to Mohawk Racetrack for leg two on June 3, then on to Tioga
Downs for the June 11 third leg. Each leg of the Graduate will have a purse of
$75,000 or $50,000 if raced in divisions. The $250,000 finals will be raced at
he Meadowlands on Pace elimination night, July 8.
The 2017
Kindergarten series starts in early July and will again include two legs
during the Freshman Festival meet in September at The Meadowlands.
The $150,000 finals are scheduled for November 3 and will be raced at
Vernon Downs this year.
The Miss
Versatility Series will have two legs at The Meadowlands to
go along with Mohawk Racetrack and Tioga Downs. The $100,000 final will remain
a part of the Little Brown Jug card at Delaware, Ohio.
All of the
conditions for Meadowlands administered stakes/finals have been written to
award one percent of the final purse to those horses that finish "out
of the money".
The NJSS offers
$100,000 guaranteed finals to the sophomores in May and freshmen in July with
two $20,000 preliminary legs leading up to those events for each group.
The
complete Meadowlands 2017 stakes schedule may be viewed here and
the live racing/stakes calendar here.
The website also provides a "Stakes Application”
page where you may download all the information on the 2017 events including
nomination forms and conditions for all Meadowlands administered stakes. All
purses listed are estimates unless denoted as guaranteed (G).
The Hambletonian and a few
other Grand Circuit stakes on the Meadowlands calendar
are administered by and the property of the Hambletonian Society.
All of the NJSS races are handled by the NJ Sires Stakes offices. Payments
on those stakes should be directed to those offices.
Trainers must be
approved for nomination to Meadowlands stakes to be accepted. It's suggested
that trainers submit a racing application before the February 15
deadline if you are planning to race at The Meadowlands in stakes or overnights
in 2017.
Call the Racing Office at (201) 842-5130 with questions.
