Big M opens with busy weekend

East Rutherford, NJ – Live harness racing is back at the Meadowlands Racetrack this Friday and Saturday with a 6:20 pm post.

On Friday, the GSY Racing Club will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth and her love of horses. There will be a video tribute and bagpiper during the pre-game show hosted by Dave Little and Jessica Otten, paying tribute to the late Queen.

On the track, the American GSY drivers will face UK drivers Lee Morris, Jaimie Neil Davies, Marc Thomas Jones, Richard Haythornwaite, and Grant Keith Cullen in two America/UK friendship races (races 1 & 3).

The Pink Buffet will include UK favorites Fish & Chips and Shepard’s Pie and Gin & Tonics will be the special cocktail of the evening. For reservations call 201-The-BigM.

CIRCLE THE DATE: After Hambletonian Day and Meadowlands Pace Night, the next biggest race card of the year at The Meadowlands is Fall Final Four/TVG Finals Night, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 26.

That evening, eight events make up the last major night of the harness racing year. Two-year-olds will be in the spotlight in four $400,000 (est.) dashes: the Governor’s Cup (male pace), Three Diamonds (filly pace), Valley Victory (male trot) and Goldsmith Maid (filly trot).

In addition, there will be four TVG Finals: the $350,000 (est.) 3&up Pace, $350,000 (est.) 3&up Trot, $175,000 (est.) 3&up F&M Pace and $175,000 (est.) 3&up F&M Trot. Estimated purses for the stakes events total $2.65 million.

There have been times in the past when Horse of the Year honors have been clinched on this autumn evening, but that’s not the case this year with Bulldog Hanover having already locked up that award with his long list of accomplishments this season, which include a 1:45.4 clocking at The Meadowlands, the fastest mile ever in the history of the sport.

To make this night even more memorable, Bulldog’s connections are tentatively going to put the Breeders Crown champion in the entry box for what could be the final start of his career. This is a race not to be missed.

THE SCHEDULE: Racing at The Big M will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis through the end of the year, with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. There is one exception on the schedule, as there will be no live racing on Dec. 23-24.

REMEMBERING BROWER: There will be a Celebration of Life for Dave Brower on Saturday, Nov. 12. The ceremony has a special early start time of 5:30 p.m.

The longtime lead TV host, oddsmaker and program analyst at the track, Brower passed away on Oct. 7 at age 53 while on assignment at The Red Mile, sending shock waves throughout the industry.

Brower will be remembered in the winner’s circle before the races, and then during the card, there will be interviews conducted by Brower’s longtime broadcast partner, Dave Little, on set with people who will share stories about the popular personality, who spent two decades working at The Big M.

CHILI HERE: On Saturday, November 5^th the track is keeping things spicy with the Fall Chili Cook-Off.  The competition features home-style, chili verde and salsa categories and offers over $4,500 in prizes. Twenty-three contestants will be competing in the Homestyle competition, while twelve cook chili verde and fourteen submit their homemade salsa recipes.

Racetrack guests are also welcomed to be part of the fun.  They are encouraged to sample the chili and vote for their favorite once all the competition chili is turned in at 8pm.

For complete chili event details visit here.

CHECK OUT THE SHOW: Every live racing night, don’t forget to check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show. It begins at 5:45 p.m.

The on-set team of Dave Little and Jessica Otten will give updates on what’s happening in the sport and talk at length about that evening’s featured races.

FREE PROGRAMS: Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands program are available 48 hours before a given card. To access the no-cost official program pages, go to playmeadowlands.com.

GET ON TWITTER: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on Twitter. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

On race nights, stay in touch with Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and Edison Hatter (@Edison_1999_).

LOW TAKEOUT, BIG POOLS: The Meadowlands offers plenty of value to the bettor with six wagers nightly that offer low 15 percent take outs, plus two that offer a guaranteed pool of $50,000. They are:

• Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
• Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
• Race 6: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
• Race 10: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 14: 10-cent Hi-5

WHERE TO BET: It’s always best to experience Meadowlands races live at the track, but if you can’t make it out to the mile oval, you’d be hard-pressed to find a simulcast parlor in a racetrack or an off-track wagering facility that did not offer the No. 1 harness product in the world.

Another way to watch and wager on the action is through tvg.com (the Television Games Network), where one can place a wager on Big M action and watch the races in the same place.

This weekend also features world class simulcasting with the 2022 Breeders’ Cup from Keeneland.

On Saturday, the track doors open early at 9:30am with the first race from Keeneland scheduled for 10:30 am.

Ala carte dining for Breeders’ Cup is available in the Lounge on both Friday and Saturday. Reservations can be made by emailing victoryreservations@arkrestaurants.com.

For a free Meadowlands race program, click here.

From The Meadowlands