East Rutherford, NJ - The opening of the Meadowlands Fall Meet in the brand new
grandstand on November 23rd is now just a month away. Looking beyond the
balance of 2013, dates for next year are in the process of being finalized,
subject to regulatory approval.
The 2014
live racing season at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment will be comprised
of 81 dates and stay the course laid in 2013. Headlined by the Hambletonian,
Meadowlands Pace and the recently announced inclusion of the Breeders Crown
championship, purses for next year’s stakes program will be over $15 million.
Racing will
get underway on January 2 with a Thursday, Friday, Saturday schedule
through March 8 and continues with Friday and Saturday night
cards through Hambletonian Day, August 2. The only exception is a Wednesday,
January 22 program that leads into the two week break for the Super
Bowl at Met Life Stadium. Live racing will resume on February 6.
The
Winter Series' have been remodeled to allow for greater regularity in getting
the overnight horses raced through that part of the year when fewer tracks are
in operation. The reduction in the number of series' also resulted in
significant increases to the leg and final purse for some of them.
The first
flight of closers includes the aptly named Super Bowl and Charles Singer for
trotters which have been opened to include both three and four year old
candidates.
The
Presidential returns, but a month later than previous seasons (February 15), in
a single elimination and final format.
The
Junior Trendsetter has been renamed for Hall of Fame driver and longtime fan
favorite William "Buddy" Gilmour and the purses for the legs
have been increase from $12,500 to $17,500 for Leg 1 and $20,000 for Leg 2.
There is an also additional $10,000 added to the Final, bringing the added
money from $25,000 to $35,000.
The Horse
and Groom trotting series has a leg purse increase from $18,000 to $20,000 and
the added money is increased from $30,000 to $35,000 for the final.
Lastly,
The Clyde Hirt has a leg purse increase from $16,000 to $20,000 while the added
money for the final is enriched by $10,000 from $25,000 to $35,000.
The
nominating fees remain the same for all events and the nomination deadline
is December 15. Follow this link to download a nomination form.
There are more late closers in the works, including the
popular Survivor claiming series tentatively set for March. Those will be
made available in the near future with a February 15 close.
