Meadowlands Race Office notes on September meet

East Rutherford, NJ – The Meadowlands will return to live harness racing before you know it, in fact qualifying races will be held in one week, on Thursday, August 25 with the box for those closing at 10AM on Wednesday, August 24.

The September live racing begins on Thursday, September 1. The first two weeks of the meet will have a Thursday, Friday & Saturday schedule with the third week racing on Friday & Saturday only.

The third of the Kindergarten Series for all division of 2-year-olds will open the meet on September 1.

There will be a number of short overnight series offered for 2 & 3-year-olds that encompass the 3-week September race meet. They require no nomination or payment; they are overnights and you need only enter your horse when those classes are listed on the condition sheet. Information on what classes will be written is available below.

The Meadowlands, in concert with the SBOA of NJ, has made an important and costly commitment to NJ Sired freshmen and sophomores with the dedication of $1.6 million in added purse money to establish the New Jersey Classic Series (NJCS) which will offer another chance for them to compete for large purses in their home state of New Jersey.

Friday, September 2 features elimination races for the inaugural NJCS for 3-year-old trotting fillies & colts with the $300,000e (A division) and $100,000e (B division) the following Friday, September 9.

The 2-year-old New Jersey Classic Series for both trotting and pacing fillies will have eliminations on Thursday, September 8 with the colts on Friday, September 9. The finals for all of the 2YO stakes will be on Friday, September 16. The trotting finals will mirror the purse for the 3-year-olds at $300,000e for the A division and $100,000e for the B division. The A division final purse for pacers will be $150,000e and the B $75,000e.

The fifth scheduled leg of the Miss Versatility will also be raced on Thursday, September 8 as a last prep for the $120,000e final on Jug Day at the Delaware County Fair.

Eligible horses for the stakes mentioned above and stakes conditions are also available.