The Meadowlands and the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) announced that the New Jersey Classic Series (NJCS) will return in 2023 with purses at the 2022 level and a new format.
Looking ahead to 2023, the NJCS conditions have been revised to include those horses eligible for the NJ Standardbred Development Fund (NJSDF) races along with NJ-Sired. Adding the NJSDF horses will provide a welcome earning opportunity for the foals of mares that are housed within the state of New Jersey, whether sired by a stallion standing in New Jersey or not as well as providing a larger pool of horses eligible for nomination.
The 2023 format will be elimination races the first week of September with finals and consolation races the following weekend.
The NJCS is an Early Closing event, which means a fresh start each year, so horses may be nominated at age three regardless of whether they were made eligible as a two-year-old or not.
Purses for both the two and three-year-old trotters will be:
- Elimination races - $25,000
- Finals - $275,000 (estimated)
- Consolations - $100,000 (estimated)
Purses for the two and three-year-old pacers will be:
- Elimination races - $15,000
- Finals - $150,000 (estimated)
- Consolations - $50,000 (estimated)
Full payment and race date information for all stakes may be found on The Meadowlands website.
(The Meadowlands / SBOANJ)