Here is a suitable Kentucky Derby exacta field: Churchill Downs and the Meadowlands Racetrack (also known as the “Big M”).
That’s not only because New Jersey bettors can wager on the May 8 Derby at the Meadowlands. It’s because both tracks are epic venues in their respective horse-racing realms.
While Churchill offers the richest event of the thoroughbred horse-racing Triple Crown, “The Big M” hosts the signature event in the harness racing Hambletonian on August 6.
While Churchill is thoroughbred horse racing’s most revered cathedral, the Meadowlands Racetrack is a harness racing monument. It is the premier harness racing facility and the “Hambo” is the only $1 million race in America.
That will change when Yonkers hosts the $1 million MGM International Trot on October 15 in New York, but the Big M is by far the top player in the harness-racing world.
Meadowlands Racetrack starts in the beginning Derby Moment
Racetrack doors open at 9 a.m. with the first Churchill Downs post at 10:30 a.m. Live harness racing kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and the Kentucky Derby post time is set for 6:57 p.m.
The Meadowlands offers horse racing simulcasting, restaurants throughout the facility, and wagering at its FanDuel Sportsbook operations.
The 5,300-square-foot book features massive screens, 50-plus self-service betting ports, and all the sports action every day.
FanDuel Sportsbook hours of operation:
Mon. – Fri.: 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat.: 8 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sun.: 8 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Betting windows:
Monday-Friday: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
For NJ mobile horse betting , wagers can be made through 4NJBETS, powered by TVG, from anywhere in the state.
Meadowlands Racetrack cards happen to be loaded
The Meadowlands presents stakes purses estimated to be $20 million throughout their season. The mile oval facility is in the midst of racing 23 consecutive nights on a Friday-Saturday basis until Hambletonian Day.
Post time for each race card is 6:30 p.m., except for the Hambo program, when the first race starts at noon.
There will be three Thursday evening cards during the Winter-Spring-Championship Meeting with racing on June 30, July 7, and August 4.
After the Meadowlands Racetrack takes a three-week hiatus, racing will then return for eight nights in September, with live action on September 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, and 17. There will be two Thursday night cards on September 1 and 8.
The track will then go dark for six weeks before returning in November, with live racing on weekends.
The final eight days of racing unfold in December, with live action every Friday and Saturday (except for December 23 and 24) and one Thursday program on December 1.
New to the schedule is the $2 million New Jersey Standardbred Series, for Jersey-sired 2- and 3-year-olds, with eliminations (if necessary) and final format in September.
In total, there are 42 days of racing, with 36 having two programs and six having three.
Meadowlands has some thoroughbred racing
It’s called Monmouth Park at the Meadowlands and takes place every fall.
It’s a series of nine thoroughbred racing dates stretching from September 23 to October 22, all on weekends.
This is a great addition to racing, offering a fall extension to the 2022 Monmouth season , which ends September 20. It also fills a gap in the Meadowlands schedule.
The synergy between The Meadowlands in East Rutherford and Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ is no accident. Both facilities are overseen by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The partnership creates a unique blend of harness and thoroughbred horse-racing action.
Monmouth Park does not have lights, and the Meadowlands does, so the nighttime post times are convenient.
Reasons why gamblers love the ‘ Big M’
It’s a one-mile track. Race distances are standard. They are typically less complicated to handicap from a time perspective. There are no runners stretching into distance races, for example. That makes it easier for bettors to make a selection.
Meadowlands also offers two-turn racing, adding a new dynamic in harness racing. Older tracks have two four turns over two halves of a mile oval, thus making turns a significant part of the race.
The Meadowlands has its share of high-quality days.
There are always three premier dates worth circling on its calendar. The 2022 edition includes July 16 (Meadowlands Pace), August 6 (Hambletonian), and November 21 (Fall Final Four/TVG Finals Night).
The $1 million Hambletonian and $250,000 Hambletonian Oaks are featured on the most anticipated stakes-laden program of every racing season, the $3.5 million Hambletonian Day.
Very best ‘ Hambo? ’
It’s the signature event of harness racing’s Trotters Triple Crown series and has been held at the Big M since 1981. The Hambo is preceded by qualifiers, building up to the big day.
The nickname for the Hambo towers over its Triple Crown counterparts.
The others include the $300,000 Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway in New York. It returns to action on July 1 after being sidelined by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and has a $300,000 purse.
The Kentucky Futurity, held at the Red Mile in Lexington, Ky., is the third leg of the Triple Crown. It takes place on Oct. 9. It carries a purse of approximately $250,000.
By the way, there have been eight Triple Crown champions. The most recent was Marion Marauder in 2016.
Harness auto racing offers quite a few contrasts in order to thoroughbred equine racing
Harness racing utilizes a sulky, or race cart, which is a lightweight vehicle attached to the horse. The sulky has two wheels and a seat where the driver sits to steer the horse.
While thoroughbreds gallop, harness horses do not. They perform either as trotters, where the legs move in diagonal pairs, or as pacers, where the legs move laterally (right front and right hind together, then left front and left hind).
This intricate aspect sometimes causes horses to go off-stride or break, essentially disqualifying them from the race. If a horse breaks stride, the driver must regain control, get it back to pacing or trotting, and not lose ground in the process.
This is one of the most challenging handicapping factors in harness racing because there is no way to predict when it might happen.
It doesn’t happen frequently. Just, it seems, when you wager on a horse.
Sawzag Bontempo, a multiple national award-winning boxing commentator and writer, authors NFL betting columns for The Press of Atlantic City and others. He writes about all major sports in the thriving legal New Jersey sports betting industry. Dave also hosts the “Why Eagles Why” podcast. Dave is a member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame and the Atlantic City International Boxing Hall of Fame.
