Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Live racing
at the Meadowlands expands to three race cards a week with the edition of
Thursdays during the month of December, and the Big M will have some new blood
providing the play-by-play.
Let’s be clear, the voice of the
Meadowlands, Ken Warkentin, isn’t going anywhere, but four different voices
will be heard on each of the Thursday programs during December when those race
callers will ‘Borrow Ken’s Binoculars’ as Warkentin takes his act downstairs to
work on the ‘Racing from the Meadowlands’ live and recap productions before
returning to his regular gig as track announcer on Fridays and Saturdays.
First up tonight (Dec. 6) will be a
fan favorite, Larry Lederman. The former long-time voice of Freehold Raceway,
Lederman has also called the action at Garden State Park and Atlantic City Race
Course as well as other tracks during his career.
On Dec. 13, Jason Settlemoir will be
in the booth. The Big M’s chief operating officer and general manager, who,
when 12-years-old called his first race in his native Ohio, is Roger Huston’s
assistant announcer at the Little Brown Jug and serves as the Big M emergency
caller anytime Warkentin hits Turnpike traffic when making his way North from
Freehold.
Peter Kleinhans will be next on Dec.
20. He is a horse owner, trainer, amateur driver and occasional television
personality. His resume includes stints as the race caller at the now-defunct
Lakeshore Meadows, as well as Hoosier Park, Chester Downs (now Harrah’s
Philadelphia) and The Red Mile.
‘Racing from the Meadowlands’ primary
co-host Dave Little, who is the Grand Circuit Week announcer at Goshen Historic
Track and calls the action at the Orleans County Fair (Barton, VT), will
complete the four-Thursday guest announcer run on Dec. 27.
During December, racing will be
conducted on a Thursday through Saturday basis with the usual 7:15 p.m.
first-race post time. Big M fans need to be aware that there will be no live
racing on Saturday, Dec. 15, when the New York Jets host the Houston Texans at
MetLife Stadium.
BET TNL AT THE BIG M: This evening (Dec. 6), the Tennessee
Titans will host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. Catch all
of the action – and get your action – at the Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook, which
is open seven days a week. Kickoff is 8:20 p.m.
PICK-4, WIN MORE: Last Saturday (Dec. 1), Big M fans
bet $98,453 into the track’s popular 50-Cent Pick-4 pool, coming just $1,547
short of a second straight six-figure Saturday night Pick-4 pool.
The wager has a low 15 percent
takeout and sports a guaranteed pool of $35,000 on Thursdays and $50,000 on
Fridays and Saturdays. Free program pages are always available at ustrotting.com and playmeadowlands.com.
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES: Three drivers tallied three victories
over the course of last weekend’s racing (Nov. 30-Dec. 1): Mike Merton, Corey
Callahan and Big M dash-leader Andy McCarthy.
Trainer Patti Harmon also had three
that visited the winner’s circle over the two race cards.
CATCHING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT: New York Jets wide receiver Quincy
Enunwa was at the Meadowlands on Monday, Dec. 3 greeting fans for a good cause.
Enunwa and the Big M hosted a massive
Marine Corps Toys for Tots collection drive, meaning hundreds of area children
will have a bright holiday season.
All of the toys will be given to
Harlem Grown, an organization dedicated to inspire youth to lead healthy and
ambitious lives.
For those who would still like to
donate, bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Big M through Saturday, Dec. 8.
THE CLYDESDALES ARE COMING: On Friday, Dec. 7, the world-famous
Budweiser Clydesdales will make a stop at the Meadowlands.
Come out and take a selfie with the
majestic animals on the East Apron from 6 p.m.-7:15 p.m. Then grab a Bud
or a Bud Lite and watch the Clydesdales parade on the track after the
conclusion of the first race.
